Sam and Jack meet at college, kinda
by iwrite4fun
Summary: AU story Sam & Jack meet after Jack's first mission to Abydos and before the first season of Stargate. The story is set so that the Abydos mission doesn't occur until around Sept 11 2001. SamJack, but you will see some other characters. NOT A TEENAGE FIC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Never will be. Just using them for a bit of fun. All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Author's note: This is an AU where the Stargate doesn't open for the first time until around 9/11. Everything that occurs in the movie occurs in my AU. Jack returns from the mission, is divorced from Sara, but because of 9/11 is not permitted to retire, and instead is sent to fill a vacancy midterm in the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. There he meets Samantha Carter who is a visiting professor at the college. I don't really know that much about any of this military/ROTC stuff, so I'm making it up as I go. All factual errors are totally mine, and I apologize ahead of time.

----

Jack O'Neill hated school. He hated having his head filled with useless knowledge. He had detested writing papers that had nothing to do with being the soldier he was aiming to become, and now he was being put in a position where he would be assigning and grading those papers. For crying out loud! He was an ex-black ops Colonel in the USAF, he was not cut out for this! Unfortunately for him, he wasn't getting much of a choice in the matter.

//Flashback//

The doctor had prodded him with endless needles and he sat through endless debriefings, when General West had called him into his office with a new set of orders.

"With the recent occurrence of 9/11, the Air Force has decided to not accept your request for retirement. Instead," West said, handing Jack a folder, "they need to you to fill a temporary vacancy here in Colorado Springs."

"Doing what sir?" asked Jack, as he accepted the folder.

"Filling the head of the Air Force ROTC position at the University of Colorado."

"Sir, I'm not a desk jockey, I'm a field officer who was really looking forward to retirement," objected Jack.

"The position is only temporary Colonel O'Neill, until a permanent replacement can be found. I'm sure that someone will want you involved over in Iraq, but for the time being they need you to remain close to the Stargate in case of any complications. It's just your luck that the Air Force needs someone above the rank of Major to take over that position. Your experience in the field and your current location makes you the right man for the job," explained West.

"Yes sir," grumbled Jack. "Permission to be dismissed sir?"

"Dismissed."

//End Flashback//

So now, Jack found himself hunting for the campus cafeteria at 0800 hours on the first Saturday morning in October. He was hungry and there was no way he was going to have his first, albeit, informal meeting with his new staff on an empty stomach.

Forgoing the usual the proper military uniform until right before the meeting, Jack felt that he could probably pass for a college professor, considering he was in khakis and a button up shirt.

After surveying, selecting, and paying for some unappetizing food, he approached the table in the surprisingly crowded room where the only other adult sat. "This seat taken," he asked before disregarding the answer and sitting down.

The woman barely glanced up before giving a simple, "no," and returning to the stack of papers in front of her. While Jack munched on his Fruit Loops, he watched the woman. She was going the papers at an alarming rate and completely ignoring him. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he asked, "Is the food always this bad?"

She looked up at him and for a second, he thought she was going to ignore him, but at the last second, she seemed to change her mind. "The only safe food is the stuff that the staff doesn't touch and the Jell-O," she offered as advice.

"Really? What about cake or pie?" Jack questioned, in an attempt to get the woman to talk.

"Somehow, they even manage to screw that up, but there's a place right off campus that makes a mean apple pie and a decent chocolate cake," she offered.

"Any chance that you'd want to get a piece with me sometime?" Jack questioned.

"I'm not interested in dating right now," she claimed.

Jack took that to be a "No".

The two sat in silence until her cell phone rang. She quickly rose from the table and walked out of earshot.

Jack took the opportunity to glance over the papers she was grading. Complex equations filled the pages, along with occasional sentences which were filled with multiple syllable words that he couldn't pronounce, let alone understand.

She returned to the table rather quickly and began gathering her papers, not offering any explanation.

Jack decided to push his luck, so he asked, "Can we do this again sometime?"

The woman didn't even dignify him with a reply as she rushed from the room.

Suddenly, Jack O'Neill was in an even worse mood then when he had gotten this assignment.

----

Jack thought his first staff meeting went rather well, except for the notably absent Major Carter. When Jack had questioned the Major's whereabouts, his secretary, Lieutenant Maria Smith had explained, "Major Carter was loaned out by General Kerrigan to teach only one class here. From what I've heard, the Major is well liked by his students and the enrollment in that particular class is the highest ever, sir. Your predecessor had an agreement which effectively dismissed the Major from any meeting due to the Major being needed elsewhere."

Jake glared at the woman and stated, "Inform Major Carter that his presence is requested in my office whenever it fits his schedule," in the most sarcastic tone the Lieutenant had ever heard.

"Yes sir," the Lieutenant replied, quickly scurrying off before she became the target for the new Colonel's anger.

While she was quick enough, three cadets were not as they swept through the halls of the ROTC building on their way to the rec room just a little bit louder than necessary.

"Attention," Jack bellowed at them.

The three quickly turned around, fell into a line, and snapped to attention before the unfamiliar man. Their eyes almost bugged out when they saw the word Colonel on his BDUs. Yet they all stood silently and motionless waiting for the man to speak.

Jack was already in a bad mood after spending the morning in a meeting for a command position that he didn't want, and now the twinge that was in his head that signaled the start of a headache had grown to a pulse when the three cadets in front of him had entered the building laughing and carrying on. On a good day, Jack O'Neill was not an easy man to deal with, but on a bad day, avoidance was the best policy for the man.

"Cadet, is there a reason that you failed to salute a higher ranking officer?" Jack questioned, despite the fact he hated all the military formality.

The three cadets looked straight ahead, not answering the man because they really didn't have a good reason.

"I'll take that as a no," Jack continued. "In that case, I will see the three of you in my office at 0800 hours Monday morning. In full dress uniform," he added as an afterthought.

Jack executed a perfect parade turn and called a "dismissed" over his shoulder, not even looking back at the three men as he walked to the door of his new office.

Jack unlocked the door to his office, slammed it shut, and collapsed into his desk chair. There sitting on his desk was the biggest mess of paperwork that Jack had ever seen. "For crying out loud," he called to no one in particular before he began attempting to sort the mess into piles.

Several hours later, Jack gave up, wondering if Daniel had been right all along by deciding to stay on Abydos as he headed home to an empty house.

----

Monday morning came and Jack O'Neill woke with military precision minutes before his alarm clock went off at 0530. Quickly dressing and grabbing a cup of coffee, Jack drove towards campus with the intent of hitting the on campus gym for a decent workout before bestowing punishment on the three troublesome cadets.

Walking into the mostly empty workout room, Jack spotted the only other occupant in the enormous room, a blonde haired woman, on the treadmill. In fact, it was the same blonde haired woman who he had attempted to eat breakfast with on Saturday.

Deciding that avoidance was his best tactic, Jack began his usual workout routine, staying as far away as possible from the treadmills and the woman. So lost in his routine that he failed to notice when the lady left the room, but checking his watch, he hurried to the locker room where he had a quick shower and changed into BDU's for his first day of classes.

If Jack had taken just two minutes longer, he would have come face to face with Major Carter who emerged from the woman's locker room in full dress uniform.

But he didn't. At 0755 he walked into his office to a slightly smaller mess than what had been there on Saturday. 'Seems like the Lieutenant is good at the whole paperwork thing,' he thought. At exactly 0800 hours, Jack heard a knock at this door.

"Come," he called, and the three cadets entered in their dress uniforms and stood at attention. Jack chose to ignore their presence for a few minutes until the tall, well built, blonde haired cadet spoke.

"Colonel O'Neill, I apologize for our actions on Saturday. We failed to recognize that you were a superior officer, and despite being out of uniform, we should have offered you the respect which your rank implies, sir," the man solemnly offered up as an excuse.

"I'm sure you are sorry Cadet Wilson, as are your friends Cadet Rhodes and Cadet Henry. But as three of the upperclassman here, you should be setting an example for the younger Cadets. The three of you are in your final year here," Jack claimed as looks of surprise filtered across the young men's faces at the fact Jack knew this information, "and you have yet to show any of the leadership qualities which I would expect from those in your position. For that reason, your punishment is to report every Saturday for the rest of the month at 0800 hours to assist with cadet training. I trust that you will have no objections to this," Jack declared, almost hoping that one of them would.

The three cadets immediately offered "No, sirs," to Jack, before saluting him, and escaping as fast as possible from his office.

----

It was lunchtime when Lt. Smith came in to inform Jack that his first class was at 1400 hours and then brought up the subject of Major Carter.

"Sir, while I was out this morning and you had the cadets in your office, Major Carter left a note stating that he had attempted to see you, but that you were unavailable. He suggested that if you needed to contact him, that you call him on his cell phone. He left a number. Would you like for me to give him a call and request another meeting with him sir?" the Lieutenant offered.

Jack thought for a few seconds then said, "No, that won't be necessary Lieutenant. Just call and inform him that his presence is expected at 0800 hours on Saturday for the cadet training."

"Yes sir," the Lieutenant remarked before gathering up the finished paperwork from the corner of the Colonel's desk and leaving him alone.

The more she interacted with her new commanding officer, the more concerned Lt. Smith became. 'The man never speaks unless spoken to, yet he seems to know everything that is going on around him. He hasn't offered up any personal information about himself-and not one person on the staff has any idea what the man's qualification are,' Maria thought.

'He likes to avoid everyone too, although Major Carter isn't much better. No one knows anything about either of them. All we know about Major Carter is that he teaches the advanced science class here and at the academy, along with carrying out his main duties at NORAD. Reportedly the Major has a PhD in theoretical astrophysics, so he's probably a total geek. But Colonel Rogers was very pleased when he announced that Major Carter would be joining our staff. He said that the Major was "a talented individual and would be well liked," yet no one here has met him,' Maria thought as she realized she still needed to call the Major and inform him of his presence being necessary this weekend.

Cadet training month was her least favorite. Maria was one of only two females on the staff, and she while she was in good shape, she just wasn't good at many of the skills that they would be teaching and assessing the cadets on. The worst of all though was the hand-to-hand combat training drills which all the instructors had to take part in. Every time, she seemed to end up on her back and she turned into the laughing stock of the group. Not even the other staff members attempted to help her out. 'Maybe it will be different with the new Colonel,' she hoped.

----

AN2: Thanks to my beta for this story, Astrophysics Rock . Please review and let me know what you think or offer suggestions for the plot of the story.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks for all those great reviews for last chapter. Keep them coming...

----

Saturday morning and 0800 hours arrived. Every time the door to the room where the instructors sat opened, they had turned to look for the illusive Major Carter. While a nice looking woman had walked in dressed in the same BDU uniform that everyone else was wearing, everyone had just assumed that she was the officer sent over from the Academy to evaluate the cadets. But she had taken a seat at the back of the room and had rushed out when her cell phone had rang.

She returned to her seat only minutes before Colonel O'Neill and another man entered. As everyone hopped out of their seats to stand at attention, they all took the chance to look at the man with the Colonel. The man was tall, broad shouldered, and decently good looking. The staff member traded glances, as if wondering how they had missed seeing this man on campus. Unfortunately they didn't get a chance to discuss things as Colonel O'Neill began to speak.

"At ease. I know that none of you want to be here on this fine Saturday morning but, it has to be done," he claimed before going on to announce everyone's assignments. There were noticeable sighs of relief from some of the personnel when he made his next announcement, "and while I have been informed that in the past hand-to-hand combat skills are normally taught by everyone. This year, myself and Major Carter will be doing the ones doing the hand-to-hand training as part of one of the stations that the recruits stop at. Remember that as soon as they finish at your station send them on to the next. Dismissed."

----

It wasn't until Jack was taking his first group of cadets into the gym that he realized that he was being joined not by Major Carter, but by a female officer. But that was not nearly as surprising as the fact that the female officer was the same woman officer that he had spotted in the gym earlier in the week and had attempted to eat breakfast with a week ago. The fact that this woman had no problems taking Major Carter's place is what really angered him. So while he sent the cadets on a 'one mile warm up' he turned his attention to the officer.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Slightly confused, she replied, "This is where I was assigned, sir."

"No, Major Carter was assigned to assist me. _He_ has level three combat skills and is the most skilled in comparison with any of the other instructors. So I'm asking again, what are you doing here?" he demanded in an even louder voice.

"Colonel, I am Major Carter, Major Samantha Carter. I promise you that I am more than capable of assisting you in today's training because I do have level three advanced hand-to-hand combat skills," Sam explained, attempting to be patient with the man.

Jack O'Neill may have been a military man all of his adult life, but never before had a female officer talked to him like this before. "Fine. But you better prepared for this, and don't expect these cadets to go easy on you."

She look like she wanted to respond to him but was cut off by the returning cadets who Jack immediately began explaining how their station would work.

Jack was forced to concentrate on his half of the cadets to the point that he didn't get the opportunity to observe the Major until he heard raised voices coming from her group.

"No offense ma'am, but my dad told me never to hit a woman," explained the Cadet.

'Cadet Hammer,' Jack recalled, 'the guy that had wanted to be the center of attention in one of his military tactics classes'.

"Well cadet I don't believe that will be a problem since you won't be hitting me," Major Carter explained, "since I'll be blocking everything that you'll be throwing at me."

Light laughter filtered through the group as now all of the cadets had turned their attention to Major Carter.

Jack could tell that Cadet Hammer was angry now. A female officer had just insinuated that he was incapable of fighting. Needless to say, Hammer began throwing punches at the Major who skillfully avoided or blocked all of them, before she skillfully swept the cadet's feet out from under him, landing him flat on his back.

Despite the fact Major Carter was breathing a little bit faster, she didn't seem overly taxed by the workout, Jack noted. In the end though, Jack was surprised to note that she reached out a hand to offer the Cadet assistance in getting up, saying, "You did pretty good. If you can learn to not let your emotions get the best of you, you'll go far."

The Cadet flashed a surprised smile at the compliment before saying "Thank you Major Carter, maybe we can do this again." Jack saw the Major flash him a smile, which Jack refused to acknowledge, instead, he refocused his efforts on his own group of trainees.

----

After Jack dismissed the last group of cadets, he turned to the Major who was standing next to him, waiting for all the cadets to disappear before he talked to her.

But it wasn't him who broke the silence, she actually spoke first. "I'm sorry about breakfast last week sir. I didn't realize who you were."

"If you had known who I was then you wouldn't have been honest with me. Never apologize for being honest with me Carter. If I had known who you were, I never would have asked you what I did," Jack offered as a way of apology.

Awkward silence surrounded them before Jack got up the nerve to ask, "So this girl I met told me that there's this place around here that offers a mean apple pie, is there any chance you'd be willing to join me to see if it lives up to her praise?"

The Major giggled and opened her mouth to answer when her cell phone rang. Looking at the display, she glanced at Jack before saying, "I need to take this." She opened the phone and said, "Carter," before walking out of ear shot for Jack to hear.

When she returned, she apologized, "Sorry Sir that was General Hammond. A computer system that I designed at NORAD just crashed and he needs me there to fix it ASAP. Is there anything else that you need me to do today?"

"No Major, don't let me keep you from the General, enjoy the rest of your weekend. Maybe I'll see you in the gym sometime this week? A little sparring match maybe?" Jack suggested, hoping things went better this time.

"Possibly," she replied with a smile. She was almost to the door when she turned around and said, "Sir, maybe next week we can try to find that place with the mean apple pie."

"I think I can hold off on the pie until then," Jack claimed.

Sam just giggled and walked out of the room.

----

Jack did get the chance to see Sam in the week that followed. Three times in fact, and every time he wondered what this woman couldn't do. On Monday, they ran together and despite Jack's attempt to leave her behind, Sam kept up with him for the whole 3 miles. On Wednesday, the two met on the sparring mats.

"So level three advanced, huh?" Jack asked as he threw a couple of easy punches which Sam easily avoided.

"Yes sir," she responded, as she ducked a swing.

Jack was caught off balance and paid for it as Sam almost succeeding in sending a quick one-two-three combination at his mid section. Jack was able to block the first two punches but the third resulted in a glancing blow as he just wasn't quite fast enough to avoid it.

The match continued that way for the next half hour. First one would get the upper hand and then the other would respond with an attack that brought him or her on top. When both were finally breathing hard, Sam declared, "I'm done sir," and proceeded to remove her gloves.

"So you admit that you can't give up with me huh? Here I thought you were better than that Carter," Jack joked.

"Actually sir, I just need to get ready for class," Sam explained in a teasing voice, "otherwise I'd be more than willing to keep going."

"If you say so Major, if you say so," Jack claimed sarcastically as he began removing his own gloves.

Sam, not quite sure if he was joking, turned to glance at the man before making a hasty retreat from the room, not wanting to say something that could be considered insubordination to a superior officer, especially one that she was going to be working with for several more months.

All Jack knew was that when he looked up from undoing his gloves was that Major Carter was gone.

----

Sam was fuming. "I had no problem keeping up with him this week," she thought, "and he didn't think I could keep going. There goes hoping that he would different than the majority of the male population."

Despite her anger, Sam quickly showered and changed into her dress blues for class. While Sam found teaching to be rewarding, she didn't enjoy it quite as much as spending time in her lab, flying, or in the field.

While the beginning of the day started off bad, Sam only noticed that it got worse from there. When she handed back her student's first exams, many of them had complaints about what they perceived as unfair grading. Then her cell phone rang, informing her that one of the scientists had managed to crash her program.

A quick call to General Kerrigan to inform him that someone would need to cover her afternoon class, and Sam was on the way to Cheyenne Mountain. When she got there, she moved through the multiple security checkpoints before reaching the bottommost level. Once there, she headed for the control room and took her place in front of the computer monitor, not even glancing at the other occupants in the room.

Two hours later, Sam had finally found the problem in the program and had gotten the Stargate started on dialing again. She just sat back and watched as it dialed, chevrons one through six locking into place, but for some reason chevron number just wouldn't lock.

She was interrupted from her gaze by General Hammond, who entered the control room and asked, "Did you get it fixed Major?"

Slightly startled, Sam immediately stood up and turned to speak with the man. "Yes sir, I also made several updates which should prevent the program from crashing in the future. I also had it go ahead and try another combination of addresses. Is there anything else you needed from me sir?"

"Not right now Major. You should know though, that you will be receiving your official invitation for a ceremony in Washington that is honoring 'Accomplishments in the Air Force'. You're being invited because of your part in this project, but the cover story will be that you're involved in deep space radar telemetry. Many of the participants in that mission and those, such as yourself that made it happen will be present to receive a special commendation," General Hammond explained. "Maybe you should call your father and invite him."

"I'll take your suggestion under advisement sir. If that's all, I need to get to the Academy and pick-up some work before I go home for the day," Sam replied.

"Dismissed than Major," Hammond said. "And Sam, you dad really does care for you."

Sam contemplated his words before replying, "Sometimes he has a funny way of showing it sir," as she walked from the room.

----

When Sam got to the Academy, she found a line of students waiting at the door to her office, with their first exams in hand. Internally, Sam sighed and steeled herself to face the line of her students. After hearing their complainers, reassuring the worrisome, and answering the questioners, Sam carried herself as fast as she could towards the parking lot only to look at her watch and groan, realizing that she still had one more thing to do before she could leave for the day-field training with her 'team'.

Her 'team' consisted of five cadets. They were all in their last year at the Academy and were receiving instruction in proper field and combat operations. The first cadet was a stocky dark haired young man named Jenkins, who could be counted on to have a joke for everything, but had shown that he had potential. The two female cadets, Williams and Hacker, were quiet and reserved, yet had proven themselves to be good soldiers, as they could follow orders. The problem children of Sam's team though were the two friends Cadets Sampson and Powers. When she had told some of the other instructors the name of the cadets on her team, she had received very varied reactions.

//Flashback//

They had been seated around a table made for four. Sam didn't know or recognize the other three instructors, who were all male, as was the norm in this particular combat and field ops course.

"So who do you have?" the man questioned, attempting to look at Sam's list.

"Jenkins, Williams, Hacker, Sampson, and Powers," Sam read off of her list.

Sam looked up to see the shock registering in several of the men's eyes. "Is that a good or bad group," she finally asked.

Every one of the guys attempted to avoid her eyes, but Sam just starred at the man who had initially asked the question, hoping to break him under his gaze. He squirmed slightly before answering, "Bad, definitely bad. If it were me, I'd think that the General is either trying to punish you or thinks that you'll be capable of getting Sampson and Powers under control when no one in the past could."

Sam internally groaned while not showing any expression on the outside, and got up from the table, leaving the men to wonder just what she thought about her new team.

//End Flashback//

All along, Sam had hoped that they were just teasing her about her team, but after the first training session, she realized that they had spoken the truth.

Sampson and Powers were troublemakers. The entire team was supposed to be helping each other through the obstacle course in a team building activity, but Sam had watched as Sampson had refused to reach down and offer either of his female teammates a hand up over the wooden wall. Instead, he had continued through the course, leaving Jenkins to try and pull one of his teammates onto the top of the wall.

Sam had watched from the observation tower as he repeatedly failed in the task, to the point that time expired and her team was the only one that failed to complete the first training exercise of the semester.

Never before had Sam seen such an outright display of male chauvinism. Sampson and Powers had refused to help a teammate, leaving behind the rest of their team, but before Sam could say anything to them, she got called away by General Hammond to fix a problem with the dialing computer.

Today, her team was going to do that obstacle course again, and this time, Sam was determined that everyone was going to get through it, even if it took them all night. Unfortunately, the team was going to be observed by a Colonel today in an attempt to gain an outsider's perspective on just how her team was doing.

A quick change of clothes later, and Sam headed for the obstacle course. There her team stood in front of a familiar brown haired, muscular man. When she got closer, Sam realized just who he was. It was Colonel O'Neill.

"Colonel O'Neill," Sam called as a way of greeting to her superior officer.

"Major Carter," Jack returned with a nod before he turned to the group and explained, "I'm just here to observe, not instruct you, and make an impartial evaluation. The actual instruction is left up to Major Carter. Major?"

"Today's training mission is completing the obstacle course as a team. There are no time constraints on this exercise. Any questions?" Receiving a chorus of "No ma'am" from her team, Sam directed them to the starting line, started her watch, and yelled "Go".

Her team took off at a quick pace as Sam climbed the observation tower where Colonel O'Neill was already waiting.

"So anything I should know about your team?" Jack asked.

"No sir," Sam replied as she picked up a pair of binoculars and looked out as her team approached the first obstacle. Already she noted that Sampson and Powers were slightly out in front whereas Jenkins had hung back and was keeping pace with his two female teammates.

When the Sampson and Powers reached the wall that had caused the team trouble last time, they repeated their previous actions. Sampson helped Powers get up the wall and then Powers assisted Sampson in getting up the wall. Then, the two sprinted off, never looking back at their other three teammates who had only now just reached the wall.

This time, Sam noted, the three seemed to have a strategy. Jenkins and Hacker helped Williams get on the ledge. Then between Jenkins offering a leg up and Williams assisting with a hand up, Hacker was able to scale the wall. Now the part of getting Jenkins up the wall fell to the two women, who despite all their attempts could not get Jenkins onto the ledge with them.

What surprised Sam when she glanced at the Colonel was the look of disgust he had on his face as he put down his binoculars just in time to see Sampson and Powers cross the finish line and call, "Time." Sam ignored them as she continued to watch the rest of her team struggle with the wall.

Jack sighed and put down his binoculars before turning to Sam and ordering in his CO voice, "Go get them Major before they hurt themselves. I need to have a conversation with those two cadets. What are their names?"

"Cadet Sampson and Cadet Powers sir," Sam responded as they began their decent from the tower.

"Is their behavior a regular occurrence Carter?" Jack asked. When Sam was silent, Jack said, "thought so," and moved towards the two cadets, leaving Sam to go gather the rest of her team.

Suddenly, Sam doubted her previous opinion of this Colonel. It seemed like he was about to go give her two problem children a dressing down. Sam broke out into a jog and quickly made it to the wall where the rest of her team was still attempting to scale the wall. "Halt," she called out, and she spotted the looks of relief that came across all of their faces, before they looked slightly scared, as they considered the possibility that they were about to be punished for failing to complete the course.

"We need to return to the finish line where Colonel O'Neill is waiting for us," Sam stated, not offering up any more information then that.

The foursome arrived to a lot of yelling, all of which was coming from Colonel O'Neill and was directed at the two Cadets. When Jack realized that the group was returning, he began winding down. When the whole group was present, he spoke, "Obviously some of you had problems with the fact this was supposed to a team exercise. But because neither myself or Major Carter believe that all of you should be punished for the mistakes of someone else, I will be back to re-evaluate your team at the end of the term, at which point I will deliver an official evaluation to General Kerrigan. If any of you have a desire to actually be field officers, I suggest that you do some thinking about how you will approach the rest of these training sessions. Dismissed."

Sam had never seen her cadets move as fast as what they did that day as they moved to get as far away from the two officers as quickly as they could.

Jack turned to Sam who was still watching the cadets disappear from sight and stated, "Doesn't matter who you think you are, my biggest rule is never leave a man behind," and then he turned and walked away, leaving Sam to stare after him and contemplate his words.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack O'Neill could not remember the last time that he had dressed down a subordinate like the way he just had. Even if the two cadets had been deserving of it, Jack wasn't convinced that he had done the right thing for the team by taking over and disciplining members of Carter's team. He figured that he was in for a cold shoulder come Saturday morning's training exercises back at the University of Colorado.

What he didn't expect was a smiling Major Samantha Carter who met him in front of the ROTC building with an extra cup of coffee in hand.

"Sir," she greeted him as she handed over his cup of coffee and took a sip from her own cup.

"Major," he greeted, "to what do I owe this surprise," as they began walking into the ROTC building.

"I think I owe you an apology and a thank you sir," Sam offered.

Slightly confused, Jack turned to look at the woman who was walking next to him. "The thank you I understand, but as far as I know you haven't done anything that requires an apology Carter. Unless there's something you need to tell me," he stated, leaving the option open for her to speak her mind.

"Permission to speak freely sir," Sam requested.

"Of course," Jack replied.

"In the gym earlier this week, you implied that I couldn't keep up with you because I'm a woman. I lost my respect for you and considered you to be much like every other male I've ever met. I know now that I must have misunderstood you. To prove it you went to bat for two of the female members and said something sir, though I'm not quite sure what, to Sampson and Powers. And I realized that I had been wrong, there was a lot more to you than meets the eye Colonel O'Neill. I'm sorry because I underestimated you," she apologized, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Carter, I've never had a problem with women who happen to be good officers. And from everything I've seen, you are a damned good officer," Jack praised. "Whatever you thought I was implying in the gym was a joke Carter, a bad joke at that. You had no problem keeping up with me which is something most male officers can't do. Keep up the good work and from everything I've seen and read about you, I'd say you're already on the short track to Lieutenant Colonel."

Sam blushed at the praise and quietly said, "Thank you sir."

"But you should know," Jack continued with a smirk on his face, "I do have a problem with scientists," as he began walking away from where Sam was standing.

It only took a few seconds for Sam to catch up with him, wearing a big grin which Jack admired out of the corner of this eye, and say, "Sir that wasn't funny."

"Was for me," he claimed as he held open the door for Sam to enter in front of him for their morning briefing.

----

Four groups of cadets later found Sam and Jack slightly more exhausted then the previous week. This group of cadets had been older and more experienced than the last, which meant their training had required a significantly larger effort on Sam and Jack's part.

Once the cadets were out of sight, Sam flopped onto the training mats on the floors letting out a huge sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed. Jack soon joined her in a matching position.

"Well that was fun," Jack stated sarcastically.

"Sir, if you consider that to be fun, you need to get a life," Sam responded, half-way opening her eyes to look at Jack.

"Oh so even the great Major Doctor Samantha Carter doesn't think training cadets is fun," Jack remarked, slightly grinning at the female officer who was quickly becoming more than just a subordinate, at least more so than any other officer on his staff.

"I didn't say that sir. What I meant to say is that training cadets isn't one of my favorite things to do. I'd rather be running simulations in my lab or even teaching a class," Sam offered, "but not training cadets if I'm given a choice, sir."

Jack decided now was the time for him to ask, before something else came up, "Where does pie fit in on that list? 'Cause I have this friend who told me that she knew someplace to get a really good piece of pie and I'm having this sudden urge for a really good piece of pie." Now, Jack waited to see if she would accept his offer to 'have lunch'.

Sam stayed silent for a few seconds before sitting up, and then rising to her feet as she made her way to the door. Only when she got to the door did she realize that Jack wasn't behind. She turned around and starred at him with a closely masked expression on her face, before treating him to a full blaze smile that reached the whole way to her eyes. "Are you coming or are you going to try and find this place without your friend?" she called to him.

Jack quickly jumped to his feet and said, "Just waiting on my friend," as the two left the training room to grab a shower and a change of clothes.

----

A short time later, Jack and Sam were sitting in a small, out of the way diner a short walk from campus. Uncle Drew's as the diner was affectionately called, eating one of the fattest buggers he had ever seen. Sam sat across from him, attempting to eat a much smaller ham sandwich.

"So, how did you know about this place?" Jack finally asked, unsure of what exactly the two could discuss other than their involvement in the Air Force.

Sam swallowed the food in her mouth before responding, "My dad used to bring me here when he visited while I was at the Academy. It kind of became a tradition that we would eat here at least once while he visited. It was always too far away from the Academy for me or any of the other cadets to want to come eat, so it kinda became our thing."

"Just you and him, what about your mom and the rest of your family?" Jack questioned.

Sam's face grew a little darker. "My mom died in a car accident when I was a teenager, and my brother, Mark, and dad haven't gotten along since," she admitted.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Jack offered, knowing from personal experience that those words didn't quite mean enough.

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head to accept his words. "What about you sir, what brings you to Colorado Springs?"

"My last assignment had me working out of Peterson, so I already lived here, though I wasn't home much. When that ended, it just happened that they needed a Colonel to fill the spot in the ROTC program, so they sent me here," Jack explained.

"Family?"

It was Jack's turn to let a dark expression cross his face. "Not any more. My son died about a year ago and my wife and I just couldn't make it work. I signed the divorce papers before I left on my last mission," Jack confessed.

Sam reached out to grasp Jack's hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze as she softly said, "I'm sorry." She left her hand there until he finally looked her in the eye.

"Thank you," Jack whispered as he squeezed her hand back surprised at her willingness to comfort him.

They sat like that for a few more minutes until Sam released his hand and turned her attention back to her food. They continued in silence until Jack asked the next question.

"So why are you here assigned here Carter?"

"I was just transferred to NORAD from the Pentagon right before the semester started. In return for getting to spend time continuing my project from the Pentagon, I had to agree to teach classes for General Kerrigan. Kerrigan then decided to split my time between here and the Academy. It's the first time I've actually had to teach an entire class. I mean I've been invited to lecture before, but this is the first time I've had my own class and it's been different," Sam explained.

"Yeah, the whole teaching thing is quite new to me too. I barely made it through the Master's degree that Air Force required me to get, spent all my time in the field, and now I'm supposed to teach these kids how to go off and fight a war," Jack commented, with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Well sir sometimes we don't get a choice about what we're ordered to do," Sam offered as a way of explanation.

"Isn't that the truth," Jack agreed, thinking about his original orders with regards to Abydos and Daniel Jackson.

At this point, dessert arrived, and the two began a much less serious discussion on the topic of hockey with an occasional mention of other likes and dislikes and some humor thrown in for good measure. Jack quickly found himself enjoying the company as much as the piece of apple pie piled high with ice cream, and told Sam so as they left the diner by asking her, "Can we do this again some time?"

Sam looked slightly flustered and repeated something she had told him before, "I'm not interested in dating right now." Sam then added another small piece of information, "The reason I requested a transfer was to get away from my ex-fiancé."

Slightly surprised, Jack reassured her, "I'm just recently divorced and don't really have many friends around here. Most of them have been transferred or shipped out to Iraq. I'm just talking about two co-workers, friends if you will, going out and getting something to eat."

Even though Sam wouldn't tell anyone that she found her new 'friend' quite attractive, she wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to get to know him better. So she looked at Jack and nodded, before saying, "Okay. Have you been to O'Malley's yet? It's well known as having a good bar, great burgers, and excellent steak."

"Never heard of it, but I am always up for a beer and a good steak. How about Wednesday say 1800 hours?" offered Jack.

After an agreement from Sam and an exchange of directions later, both of them went their separate ways waiting for dinner on Wednesday evening.

----

Wednesday came and Sam and Jack's schedules had kept them from doing more than exchanging smiles and salutes in passing. Jack was worried that Sam might forget their dinner 'date' until he noticed the voicemail icon on his cell phone. When he called, he got a message left by Sam. "Sir, just wanted to let you know that I might be a little late but I'll see you at O'Malley's shortly after 1800 hours tonight."

Jack smiled as he grabbed his jacket and headed to his truck for the short drive to O'Malley's.

When Jack got there, he instantly fell in love with the place. While their was a visible dance floor that was characteristic of a country-western place, the pool tables and bar off set that feeling and created the casual atmosphere Jack loved in his restaurants. Despite being a weekday night, the place was quite crowded, but had a relaxed atmosphere. He quickly found himself a booth for two and signaled a waitress that he needed a beer as he waited for Sam to show up.

Shortly after his beer arrived, the door opened and Sam walked in. The few guys who didn't notice her arrival, quickly realized that they were missing something when they saw that their friends were no longer focused on them. Sam was wearing a pair of leather pants, motorcycle boots, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket while carrying a motorcycle helmet. Luckily, Jack was able to get his emotions under control before Sam joined him at his table.

"Sorry I'm little late sir. I wanted to enjoy the good weather one last time by riding my bike," Sam explained.

"It's fine Carter and cut it with the sirs already. We're two friends having dinner. Friends that are not in the same chain of command I might add, so I don't think some General is going to jump out and write you up for addressing me as 'Jack'. Don't make me make it an order," Jack said.

"Yes sir," Sam answered in earnest, "but if I have to call you Jack, you have to call me Sam."

"I can do that _Sam_," Jack replied with a smile, as the waitress came over to take their food order and deliver a beer for Sam.

"So Jack, you play pool," Sam asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Why Sam, I'll have you know I'm pretty good. You up for a game?" Jack offered.

Sam smiled evilly and led the way to the pool table where she proceeded to string Jack along in the first game before cleaning his clock in the second. All along, the two carried on a light hearted conversation, discussing what had happened in each of their lives since they had last spoken. Jack grumbled about paperwork, Sam complained about her lack of lab time, and they both agreed that teaching ranked right up there with paper work when it came to the Air Force.

Eventually, they sat down to enjoy their meal and continue their light hearted banter. The evening went pleasantly, and after finishing their food, Jack went to the bar to grab himself another beer while Sam was in the bathroom.

As he stood at the bar waiting for the bartender to notice him, one of the men who had been there all night, and had been watching Sam since she came in, looked at Jack and asked, "How did someone like you find a girlfriend like her?"

Jack looked at the man and quickly denied the fact saying, "She's just a friend."

"Oh so it wouldn't bother you if I asked her to dance," another guy commented as he jumped into the conversation.

"She's free to dance with whoever she wants," Jack replied as he headed back to the table with a beer for himself and a diet for Sam in hand.

Sam was already waiting on him, and she had barely taken a sip of her soda when the first guy approached the table and asked her to dance. Sam politely declined. The scene repeated two more times before Sam turned to look at Jack with an accusing stare.

"What did you tell those guys sir?"

"The truth," Jack offered.

"Which is what?"

"That you aren't my girlfriend and that you could dance with whoever you wanted," Jack answered.

Sam calmly put her soda down, took the beer out of Jack's hand and set it on the table, and grabbed Jack's hand to lead him to the dance floor.

Surprised by her actions, Jack didn't even have time to protest until it was too late. "Uh, Sam, I don't dance."

Sam smiled the whole way to her eyes and retorted, "Well, it seems that everyone thinks I am supposed to be dancing and since you gave them that idea, I think that it is only appropriate that you have to dance too. Besides, I know that I can trust you to keep your hands where they belong unlike most every guy in here."

Jack permitted himself to chuckle as he carefully placed one hand on Sam's shoulder and the other entwined with her hand as they kept an appropriate amount of distance between themselves.

They only danced one song together, but it was one that both parties enjoyed. When they headed back to their table, it seemed the one dance did the trick as far as Sam was concerned-no one else came up to ask her to dance for the rest of the night.

The two friends enjoyed each other's company until the late hour set in, and Sam claimed she needed to get home.

Again, it fell to Jack to try for another 'date', even if they were just friends. "So do you have any plans for Saturday evening? I mean it's okay if you do but, I just wanted to know if you wanted to do something again," Jack said as he rushed the words from his mouth.

Sam smiled at the man's embarrassment before saying, "I'd love to but I already have plans. Maybe sometime next week," she offered as a compromise.

Although disappointed, Jack refused to let it show as he shook his head and claimed, "I doubt it; I've got meetings pretty much all week."

Sam just nodded and reassured him "It's okay, it's not like we're dating or anything." Sam's face blushed bright red as she realized what she had just said and she hurriedly pulled her helmet over her head and rode away before Jack could respond.

If she had waited though, she might have heard Jack whisper, "Maybe I want to date you."

----

AN: Thanks to my beta for this story, Astrophysics Rock . All of your reviews have been really encouraging, keep them coming!


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the week drug on for Jack, especially considering the fact that he really hadn't made any attempts to connect with the rest of his staff. Which made him realize that Sam was his only friend in Colorado Springs, and his lack of people skills had sent a message to his staff that he was to be avoided at all costs.

Needless to say, he was surprised when Lt. Maria Smith had come into his office on Friday.

//Flashback//

The Lieutenant had collected a large stack of paperwork from his out tray while depositing a much smaller stack into his out tray. She waited until he noticed her and the said, "Sir, I just wanted to make sure that you knew that you were invited to join us as we celebrate tomorrow evening."

"And just why are you celebrating Lieutenant," Jack wondered aloud.

The Lieutenant squirmed a little before answering, "The end of the Saturday training sessions sir. It's kind of become a tradition that everyone who participates goes out on the final Saturday, eats a few slices of pizza, and drink a few beers."

"Oh," Jack acknowledged, "I doubt you'll see me there, but make sure that you enjoy yourselves. You've all done good work these past few weeks, and I know that October is everyone's least favorite month because of these dreadful training sessions. Feel free to pass that on to anyone else."

"If you change your mind sir, we'll be at O'Malley's starting at 1900 hours," Maria offered as she swept the last of the completed paperwork off of his desk.

//End Flashback//

The more Jack had thought about it, the more he began to reconsider going to that party.

The final day of training came and went without a hitch. At the end of the session, the three cadets who had been forced to take part in the training as punishment reported to Jack.

"Colonel O'Neill," the three men spoke in unison as they stood at attention and waited for Jack to speak.

Jack stood and starred at the three young men for a few minutes. He noticed how they all failed to squirm at all under his gaze. To some, this would mean that he was failing to be intimidating, to Jack, it meant that he had found some potential Special Forces candidates. While he wouldn't mention this to them quite yet, Jack would keep an eye on them as they completed their last year of study.

Finally, Jack spoke. "I've been impressed with how well the three of you have done these past three weeks. All of the instructors have had nothing but good things to say about you. With that in mind, I've decided to let you off without any further punishment and will not be noting this incident on your record, provided that there are no future incidents," with that Jack offered a small smile to the three cadets and stated, "now get out of here, I'm sure you have better things to do on a Saturday than hang out with me. Dismissed."

The cadets were left slightly gaping as they managed to get out, "Thank you sir," before escaping from the room as fast as possible so that Jack didn't have a chance to change his mind.

Lucky for the cadets, Jack had already forgotten about their conversation and was starting to think about the possibility of meeting up with his staff that evening at O'Malley's.

----

It was after 1900 hours when Sam arrived at O'Malley's. It took quite some time to find a place to park her Volvo in the crowded parking lot, which was typical for a Saturday night.

When she walked in the door, she took her time looking around, attempting to locate the others from the ROTC staff. She failed to notice the approving glances that were being sent her way as she walked towards the corner of the room where several tables had been pulled together and the other instructors were already sitting.

"Ma'am," Lt. Maria Smith called as Sam approached, "glad you could join us. We were just about to go start a game of pool. Care to join us?"

"Sure Lieutenant, but off duty it's Sam," she requested as she placed her jacket on a chair and followed the female Lieutenant, and two male Captains towards the pool table.

"In that case please call me Maria," Maria requested, "and these two bone heads are Tom Hutchinson and Jason First. They teach military tactics and such along with Colonel O'Neill."

"Bone heads?" questioned the taller of the two men, Tom.

Maria just smiled and replied, "When you start working on your master's degree, then maybe you can climb out of the bone head pile."

"Well then sign me up for class if that's all its going to take to get on your good side," Jason joked as he took the opening shot.

Enjoying the light hearted humor, Sam countered, "Even then you'll still be a bone head in my mind until you get your doctorate."

The four laughed until they heard a voice behind them question, "So Carter, are you telling me that you consider me a bone head just because I don't have a doctorate."

The four of them whipped around to see Jack O'Neill standing there with a serious expression on his face. While the three younger officers squirmed, Sam saw the humor in his eyes and explained, "Of course not sir. The bone head category is only for subordinates. Generals and Colonels without doctorates fall into the 'don't really understand what I'm talking about' category."

Deciding to let them know that he really wasn't upset, Jack laughed and said, "True Carter, so true. So anyone need a drink?"

As he collected their drink orders and left the group, the four officers exchanged looks as Tom questioned, "Does anyone else find Colonel O'Neill a little different from other Colonels?"

"Definitely different," admitted Jason.

"Different," agreed Maria.

"Not like any other CO I've ever had," added Sam, "but I'm reserving judgment of whether that's a good or bad thing."

They all nodded their agreement and turned their attention back to their game as the subject of their conversation returned with beers for everyone. The conversation had quickly changed to 'shop talk' as they discussed their ratings of different cadets, plans for future courses, and the coming of Thanksgiving and Winter break.

Throughout the night, the group became more relaxed, especially after Jack insisted that everyone address him as Jack. While many of the officers were initially uptight, Sam used her keen sense of humor to keep the conversation light, and Jack surprised everyone by showing off his previously hidden people skills. What none of the other officers voiced despite all of them noticing, was the fact that Jack O'Neill, the battle hardened Colonel that they had come to know became quite a bit softer as long as one Major Samantha Carter was present.

Jason was the one who finally asked, "Jack what is that you were doing before being sent to do the ROTC stuff with us?"

Any grin that had previously been on Jack's face disappeared, as he responded, "It's classified," in such a tone that left no doubt that the subject was closed.

At this point, Jason turned his attention to Sam and asked, "What about you Sam?"

"Classified," was Sam's reply, though she smiled as she said it.

"Oh come on Sam," joked Tom, "you're only saying that because he did."

This brought a round of laughter from the whole group before Sam reassured them by saying, "It really was a classified project. The only thing I can tell you was that I was assigned to the Pentagon."

The group seemed to realize that wouldn't gain any information from either of them, so they turned the conversation to their own lives and families. That night, Sam and Jack learned more about their fellow officer's lives, despite not offering up any information about themselves.

Eventually individuals began to leave as the group dwindled down until it was just Sam and Jack left sitting there. The two sat at the table until Jack said, "I was surprised to see you here tonight. When you said you had plans, I didn't think you meant hanging out with these guys."

Sam gave a short laugh, and replied, "Well, I didn't know if you were invited or not, and being the 'new girl' meant that I didn't want to be the one that invited the boss and wasn't supposed to."

"Uh-hu," Jack claimed sarcastically. "You know Carter, you don't have to lie to me," he offered with a straight face, "if you don't want to spend time with me, all you have to do is say so, you won't hurt me or anything."

Sam caught on to his humor and said, "Well sir, you know I just didn't want to hurt your feelings, being the extremely sensitive male that you are."

They both shared a laugh over their jokes, before leaving a tip for their waitress and heading for the door.

Once in the parking lot, Jack followed Sam to her car. As she unlocked the car door, she turned to the man that she was quickly beginning to feel something more than friendship for, and stated "You know how I said I wasn't ready to date yet," receiving a nod from Jack, she continued, "I'm still not sure I'm ready, but just so you know, if the right guy were to ask, I wouldn't say no."

Before Jack had a chance to realize what had been said, Sam slid into her Volvo, shut the door, and took off from the parking lot. Watching her tail lights fade, Jack broke out into a huge grin, as he realized that he just might have a chance of finding something more than friendship with Major Doctor Samantha Carter.

----

For Jack O'Neill, over thinking things had always been his worst enemy. And thinking about the words that Sam had parted with on Saturday evening had left Jack wondering what someone like Sam saw in him. So Jack had convinced himself that he wasn't good enough for Samantha Carter, and therefore, the two of them would only ever be friends. So Jack spent the next three weeks avoiding Samantha Carter.

He changed his routine so that his chances of meeting up with her in the gym was minimal, scheduled appointments during the time she would be on campus, only returned her phone calls when he knew for sure that she would be in class so he wouldn't have to talk to her, and made ridiculous excuses about how he was busy she tried to get together with him.

So when he walked into his office after his last class on Friday and checked his e-mail, he was surprised to find an e-mail from Sam sitting in his inbox.

_To: ColJONeill_

_From: MajSCarter_

_Subject: (No subject)_

_Sir,_

_I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to imply anything and I'm really sorry that I've destroyed our friendship._

_I hope that we can work together in the future without any problems._

_Major Carter_

Suddenly, Jack was beside himself. In an attempt to prevent himself from being hurt, he had hurt a person that he cared about, someone that had become a true friend to him over the past couple of months.

Jack picked up the phone to call her, only to realize that what he needed to tell her was something better done in person, and with a glance at the clock, he realized that she should be headed home by now.

After a quick investigation of the ROTC staff directory, Jack grabbed his truck keys and locked up his office, heading for Samantha Carter's house.

----

After quick stop to pick up a dozen roses and food from a nice Italian restaurant, Jack arrived at his house. Taking the food to the kitchen he left it in the microwave to keep it warm, while he placed a couple of candles, on the table and lit them. Then he placed a bottle of wine on the table and went to change clothes before again rushing to his truck for the short drive to Sam's house.

Noticing that the light was on in the living room, Jack approached the door with flowers in hand. He knocked on the door and waited for Sam to answer. When the door opened, Sam took one look at Jack standing there in a dress shirt and khakis with a dozen roses, and demanded to know, "What are you doing here?"

"Hopefully making up for being an idiotic member of the male species," Jack offered with a look that could easily be attributed to a lost puppy dog.

Despite Sam's desire to say mad at Jack, she couldn't. So she accepted the flowers and opened the door wider and allowed him to enter her house. She led him to the living room and sat down in the comfy chair while Jack occupied the couch.

"So go ahead and give me the speech you have prepared," Sam offered, still quite angry at the man.

"I'm sorry," Jack stated. "I've been an idiot. I know that I haven't given you any reason to trust me over the past few weeks, but I'm asking that you give me one chance to explain things and either fix this or totally screw it up."

Realizing that she probably owed him at least one chance, Sam said "Okay, you've got tonight."

"Thank you. Is there any chance that I could convince you to go out to eat with me, call it date or just two friends getting a meal together, which ever you prefer. Regardless, I promise that if at any time you decide you want to leave, I'll bring you straight back here and never speak to you again as anything more than Major Carter," Jack offered, hoping that the terms would be good enough that she would accept.

"Give me ten minutes to get changed," Sam requested as she moved towards a room that Jack perceived to be her bedroom.

When she emerged less than 10 minutes later, she was dressed in a pair of black pants and a blue sweater which matched her eyes perfectly. Jack opened the front door for her before escorting her to his truck and helping her inside. As he walked around the front of the truck, he hoped that he wouldn't screw things up anymore than they already were.

The drive to Jack's house was carried out in complete silence. Neither person spoke until Jack escorted Sam out of the truck and to the front door. Before he opened the door though, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I know that I owe you an explanation, and I promise that if you let me, I will explain as much as I can tonight. It won't be easy for me to do, but you don't deserve any less than a full explanation of what you're getting yourself into, especially," he gulped, "if you think that we have the possibility of being more than just friends.

Sam reached out and grabbed Jack's free hand and gave it a squeeze, reassuring him, before saying, "Take all the time you need."

With that Jack pushed open the door to his house and led Sam into the kitchen where their dinner awaited them.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam and Jack ate in mostly silence; until Sam couldn't stand it anymore and started with a simple question.

"So, have you lived here long?"

"I bought the place about six months ago, right before I left on my last mission," Jack admitted, "and right after the divorce was finalized."

"Oh," Sam offered, "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," Jack replied, "things hadn't been good for a while and after Charlie…well there just wasn't anything left to hold up together."

"Charlie," Sam wonder aloud, trying to pry information out of the man, "was he the son you mentioned?"

Jack got a far away look in his eyes as he said, "Yeah, he was. Good kid, great kid. Loved baseball, airplanes, and wanted a puppy for Christmas. Poor kid looked like me, and acted like me too."

"Nothing wrong with that Jack," Sam said before blushing, realizing what she had just said.

Jack reached over and opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a frame and handed it to Sam. Inside was a picture of Jack and Charlie with a baseball glove. Both were smiling and Sam noticed the resemblance instantly. Both guys had the same smile, the same color hair, though Charlie's was slightly longer, and the same dark chocolate eyes that Sam thought she could easily get lost in.

"Cute kid, looks just like his dad," Sam finally vocalized, looking up to where she expected Jack to be; only to find that he had silently began cleaning up the dishes from supper.

Together they cleaned up the dishes from supper. Jack handed Sam her jacket and grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch before taking her hand and leading her out the back door, around the side of the house, and up a ladder to his observation deck.

He spread out the blanket and sat down. Before he spoke again, he waited for Sam to sit next to him. Jack sat there for a few moments before he spoke.

"But Charlie's favorite thing to do besides whatever I was doing was to look at the starts. That boy probably knew more about starts than most people. He dreamed of being an astronaut when he grew up and now he'll never get that chance," Jack lamented, struggling to keep his composure.

Sam squeezed his hand which had somehow become entwined with her hand without either of them noticing.

"I killed him," Jack finally said.

Sam gasped, trying to figure out what Jack meant by that statement. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault Jack," Sam attempted to reassure the man.

"NO! It was my fault. I told him that it was dangerous, but I was the one that left it out where he could get at it. If I'd been home more, spent more time with him, maybe I could have made sure he understood," Jack continued before finally lapsing into silence.

"Jack," Sam said, once she realized he was done, "I'm sure that whatever happened, it was not your fault."

"How can you know that! You don't know me, you don't know what happened," Jack exclaimed, angry clearly evident in his voice.

"You're right I don't know you that well," agreed Sam, "But I do know that you are different from every other Colonel I've ever worked with, and that tells me that you are a better man than most men I've worked with. And even I know a good man wouldn't kill his son, who he obviously loved very much."

Sam's word and confidence in what kind of person he was, brought on a wave of tears from Jack. He broke out in sobs and Sam did the only thing that she could. She wrapped her arms around this man and held him to her body, slowly rocking him, and rubbing his back in a slow circular motion. Only when Jack pulled away did Sam move her arms.

They sat there in silence for quite some time until Sam spoke. "I already told you that my mom died when I was younger. It was a car accident. She took a cab home from the airport and got hit by a drunk driver. For a long time I blamed myself. I thought that the reason she took that cab home rather than waiting for dad was because I told her I wanted her to come home. I was baking chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen when dad came in and told me she wouldn't be coming home. It took me almost a year to quit hating myself for killing my mom."

Sam glanced into Jack's eyes and saw that he was hanging on her every word. "When I finally quit blaming myself, I turned my hate to my father, because I thought it was his fault. After all, it was his meeting that had ran late and kept him from picking mom up. While I've finally forgiven him for what happened, we still don't talk-ever."

"It wasn't your fault and it wasn't your father's fault-but Charlie's death was my fault. I was the one that left the gun out where he could get to it," Jack finally admitted.

Sam gasped as suddenly everything made sense. So she did the only thing that she could, she pulled Jack into a hug and cried with him. They cried over what they each had lost in their lives.

As the tears subsided, Jack didn't let go. He held on tight and buried his face in Sam's shoulder. When he did let go, he descended the ladder, pulling Sam down after him. He led her to his truck and again opened the door for her and helped her inside. They drove towards her house, where he parked and turned the truck off. Jack helped her out of the truck and walked her to the door. He waited until Sam had unlocked the door before whispering "Thank you," and leaving a quick kiss on Sam's cheek.

Before Sam could do anything, Jack rushed from the front porch and back to his truck.

----

As Sam poured herself her first cup of coffee the following morning, she was getting worried. She had called Jack at home and left a message. Then, after a call to Lt. Maria Smith for his cell phone number, she had called that and left a voicemail message, asking him to call her and just tell her that he was okay. By lunchtime, she was really concerned, so she drove to his house.

His truck was parked outside, and the front door was unlocked, but she got no answer when she knocked. Sam walked through the house to the kitchen and grabbed the pot of coffee. She searched the kitchen until she found two travel mugs and filled them. She walked out the back door and went around the side of the house; she climbed the ladder and found him sitting there.

Silently, she handed him one of the mugs of coffee. Her heart almost broke when she saw the defeated look in his eyes. Finally, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Jack took a sip of the coffee before answering, "No, but I think I will be."

Slowly, his arm crept out and wound its way around Sam's shoulder, pulling her against his side. He let her snuggle into his side, and he noticed how it just felt right for her to be there.

They sat there and enjoyed the silence and each other's company until Jack reached down to grab Sam's hand and give it a squeeze and he let out a yelp. "Carter, why didn't you tell me you were cold," he exclaimed as he pulled her to her feet and made sure he was following her down the ladder and into the house. He forced her to sit down on the couch and handed her a blanket before returning to the kitchen. He returned minutes later with fresh cups of coffee for both of them. Handing her the cup of coffee, he collapsed into the chair.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?" Sam questioned.

"For coming back. For not telling me that it was my fault. For caring," Jack claimed, listing off the reasons.

"How could I not come back? I was the one that ruined our friendship by suggesting that we date," Sam began and Jack instantly cut in.

"Whoa! You can't take the blame for that one. I was the one that kept asking for the two of us to spend time together-you kept insisting that we were 'just friends' and when you finally said you might be okay with more, I was the one that turned tail and ran the other way," Jack claimed.

"You did," agreed Sam, "so how about we forget the idea totally and go back to being 'just friends' and never talk about it again."

Jack thought about it. "How about we agree that we both screwed up," he suggested.

Sam nodded her agreement as Jack continued, "And we agree to re-evaluate the whole 'just friends' thing at the end of the semester. If I'm honest, I'm not ready for a relationship just yet."

"Really," Sam said in a sarcastic tone, "Never would have guessed that one."

"Hey! I'm supposed to be the sarcastic one in this friendship," Jack exclaimed emphasizing the word 'friendship'.

Sam dissolved in giggles as Jack looked at her and in the sternest CO voice he could muster, proclaimed, "No giggling Major, that's an order," which only resulted in more laughter.

The two quickly settled into a friendly banter, as the two friends caught up on what they had missed the past few weeks. The day conversation continued through a shared pizza and even a couple of beers.

Overall, several agreements were made, the focus of which meant at work they were Colonel and Major. Alone, they were going to work at being just Sam and Jack, two good friends. There was also a promise made by both of them to talk more, but an unspoken agreement that some discussions would never be a forced topic, like Charlie and Sam's mom.

As it started to get dark outside, it was Sam who final decided to end the day.

"I really need to be going Jack," stated Sam as she rose to her feet.

"I'll walk you out," Jack offered.

Together they walked out to her car, when Jack broached the subject he had mentioned earlier in the day. "What I said earlier about the 'just friends' thing," he began when Sam interrupted.

"I think it's a good idea," she claimed and upon seeing the disappointed look on his face, clarified, "that we discuss things after the semester ends. That way I'm officially out of your chain of command and we don't have to worry about the regs."

"I'd like that," said Jack as he gave Sam one last hug and then shut the door of her car and watched as she drove away.

----

It was Wednesday, the last day of classes before Thanksgiving and Jack starring at an envelope that had recently arrived when Sam walked into his office.

"Sir," she said, attempting to get his attention.

Jack didn't even look up as he said, "Shut the door Carter and pull up a chair."

"Something wrong sir," Sam asked, worried about the expression on Jack's face.

"You could say that Carter. I just received my newest set of orders," Jack explained.

"What do they say?"

Jack answered with an embarrassed smile "Um, I haven't opened them yet."

Sam shook her head in an attempt to hide her smile at the man's boyish tactics. "So you're sitting her wondering what's inside rather than just getting it over with and opening them up," she wondered aloud.

"Yeah, something like that," Jack admitted.

"Why are you so worried," Sam questioned, quite perplexed.

Jack sighed and took a few seconds to compose his thoughts. "This assignment was, is supposed to be temporary. A year max and then they ship me off to Iraq, at least that was what I was told," Jack explained.

"Okay," Sam accepted, knowing that there had to be more to it than that.

"And let's just say that my last trip to Iraq ended with me spending three months as a POW, something that I would care not to repeat," he admitted.

"Oh," Sam exclaimed as she mentally added 'Iraq' to the list of things that would never be purposely brought up. "So rather than find out if you need to be worried sir, you'd rather sit here and worry?"

Jack gave a nervous chuckle as he looked at her. Suddenly, he realized how stupid he was being, and he opened the envelope and hurriedly read the documents.

He let out a huge sigh and said, totally serious, "This really stinks, you know. You're stuck with me for another semester."

At that point, if Jack hadn't been a superior officer, Sam probably would have at least taken a swipe at the man. "So, no Iraq," she confirmed.

"Not yet at least," he replied, allowing a hint of a real smile to grace his face, "They'll re-evaluate towards the end of the semester."

"Well sir, all that worrying was for nothing," she said with a smile.

Realizing that Sam probably had come all this way to talk about his orders, Jack now questioned what she needed. "Was there a reason you stopped by Carter, or did you just miss my sense of humor?"

"Actually, Jack," Sam said, stressing his name to let him know this was a personal conversation, "I was wondering if you had plans Thanksgiving."

"Nope," Jack offered.

"Then if you're interested, I'm having dinner at an old friend of the family's house and he told me to bring a couple friends. One of the guys that I went to the Academy with is at Peterson waiting to be deployed, so I figured I'd see if he wanted to come, and if you were interested," she trailed off.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jack said.

The two quickly made plans for the following morning and it was only when Sam reached to open the door, did she pause and turn back to Jack. "Actually sir, I'm not stuck with you for another semester. I'm not teaching here next semester, I'll be teaching half time at the Academy, and working in the labs at Cheyenne Mountain the rest of the time."

"Really?" Jack questioned, surprised at this piece of information.

"Yes sir," Sam said with an over dramatic sigh as she opened the door, "but you'd already know that if you read your memos."

As Sam walked down the hall, she could hear his laughter in her ears all the way to the door.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Jack found himself knocking at Sam's door at 0800 hours with two cups of coffee in hand.

When she opened the door, she didn't even acknowledge Jack's presence, just swiped the offered cup of coffee out of his hand. She took a big sip and murmured a "mmmm," before stepping back and allowing Jack into her house.

"Glad to know that my presence is appreciated," Jack joked as he stepped through the door.

"It is," Sam smiled as they went towards the kitchen. "It will be a few minutes yet, the pies aren't quite done cooling yet."

"Pies?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah I offered to bring dessert today. Are you sure you want to do this, I'm giving you one more chance to back out," Sam offered.

"It can't be that bad, could it?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Jack," Sam began, "I wouldn't think any less of you if you didn't think you could do the whole family holiday thing."

"What do you mean family, I thought this was Thanksgiving with a friend of the family," Jack questioned.

"It is, but he's practically my uncle. He served with my dad and his daughters and I were good friends when we were younger. My dad retired last year, and this is Uncle George's last command before he retires. He's in charge out at Cheyenne Mountain right now," Sam explained.

"So Uncle George is a General?" Jack asked, looking at Sam for confirmation.

"Actually a Major General, as was my dad before he retired," Sam said, looking at Jack to his reaction.

Slightly upset at just now finding this out, Jack said, "A Major General, you didn't think it was important to tell me that I was eating Thanksgiving with a Major General!"

"To me it's not a big deal. At work, he's a Major General, my CO. Away from work, he's Uncle George. Trust me, he'll insist that you call him George today," Sam reassured Jack.

"I hope you're right," grumbled Jack.

"Hey!" Sam yelled as she tossed a hand towel at Jack, "Must I remind you that I have a PhD-I'm always right."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's get going or we're going to be late picking up your friend," Jack quipped.

----

Thirty minutes later they were both sitting in Jack's truck outside of the gate at Peterson, waiting for the guard to check their IDs and wave them through.

Soon, they pulled up outside of a large building that housed the temporary sleeping quarters. Outside of the building, a game of football was already going on.

Sam opened her door, and before she closed it, turned to Jack and said, "Stay here. I'm going to go retrieve Cam, it shouldn't take too long."

She walked over to where a small crowd of spectators had gathered and maneuvered her way to the front. When a horribly directed pass came her way, Sam had no qualms about pulling the pass in to protect the person standing next to her.

She looked up at the quarterback and yelled, "Mitchell you thrown like a girl!"

Cameron Mitchell took no time in running over and declaring, "Glad you could offer me your expert opinion," before he pulled her into his arms and spun her around.

Several of the guys offered up wolf whistles at Cam's actions and Sam's face turned a deep shade of red. One of the younger men called out, "So is this the girlfriend that we've heard some much about Mitchell?"

"Nope, Sam's just a friend," commented Cam as he slipped his arms out from around Sam.

"Sure she is," spoke another one of the football players, "and she flies F-14s in her spare time."

"No, Sam doesn't fly F-14s," stated Cam, "She prefers the F-16s." The two chuckled at the shocked expressions on the guys faces.

"I don't get the chance to much flying nowadays," Sam explained, "but I was pretty good at it when I flew during the Gulf."

"Pretty good?" questioned Cam, "You were one of the best out there. There's a whole squadron of F-16s stationed here right now, I'm sure that we could get up in one if we really wanted to."

"The advantages of rank, huh Captain Mitchell?" one of the bystanders asked.

Cam threw his arm over Sam's shoulder as she directed him away from the game. Together they chuckled, and Cam said, "Actually, I wasn't talking about me pulling rank. I figured I'd let Major Carter here do that for me."

From where Jack was standing in front of his truck, he could see the jaws drop as Cam and Sam approached his truck laughing.

Once there, Sam and Cam stopped, and both of the men's eyes met as they attempted to size the other up.

Sam made the introductions, ignoring the stare down that was occurring between the two men, "Cam this is Colonel Jack O'Neill. Jack, meet Captain Cameron Mitchell."

Cam snapped to attention at hearing the man's rank, but Jack waved him off, "We may be on base Mitchell, but we're off duty. It's just Jack today."

Cam visibly relaxed and held out his hand which Jack shook, "Then it's Cam please."

The three climbed into Jack's truck and with Sam in the passenger seat giving directions, set off for the house of Major General George Hammond.

----

Their arrival at the Hammond household was met with utter chaos. Each of them was holding a pie when the door was yanked open by a woman about Sam's age. She shrieked as she threw her arms around Sam, almost knocking the pie out of her hands, but at the last second, Jack was able save the pie.

As soon as the woman let go of Sam, she realized she knew someone else standing on the porch. "Cam," she cried as she flung herself at him and he was able to hand the pie off to Sam just in time to avoid dropping it.

It was only when the woman about fell down, did Jack notice the little girl that had made her way out onto the porch. "Sorry, kiddo," the woman said as she reached down to pick up the little girl with dark hair, balancing the child on her hip, she turned to Sam and asked, "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Sorry. Lindsay you obviously remember Cam. This man here is Colonel Jack O'Neill," introduced Sam, "Guys, this is Lindsay and her daughter Jessica, or Jessie as she prefers to be called."

"And I'm Major General George Hammond," offered a man with a slight Texan accent from the doorway. The three officers snapped to attention at the man's voice, but he continued speaking, "Today, I'm ordering it to be first names only, so I'm George. And Sam, I believe you brought the pies."

"Of course I did Uncle George, do you honestly think I'd forget to bring dessert?" Sam said as she gave the man a friendly hug and a peck on the cheek. She then followed Lindsay into the house and then it was George's turn to stare at the two men.

"When Sam said she was bringing a couple of friends, I didn't think she meant you Cam. I didn't even know you were in the area," George stated.

"Well, we're doing some last minute training at Peterson before we ship out to Iraq right after Thanksgiving. I didn't know that Sam was here until we ran into each other at a local bar a week ago. I thought she was still working on that project at the Pentagon," Cam explained as he exchanged handshakes with George.

Cam went in the house, but George shut the door before Jack could follow him in.

"What is your relationship with Major Carter son?" George asked in his sternest voice.

Jack blinked a couple times, surprised that a General wanted to know this piece of information and responded, "We're just friends sir."

"I don't have to remind you that you are both Air Force officers and have to adhere to the rules and regulations," George stated.

"No sir," Jack replied.

"Most importantly, you should know that I think of Sam as a surrogate daughter and in Jacob's absence I feel it necessary to threaten you. Even if you are 'just friends', if you hurt her, you will wish you were dead," George threatened.

"General, if I hurt Sam, she won't leave much behind for anyone else to mess with," Jack explained.

When George heard that statement he laughed. Everything he had read about the Colonel in front of him disappeared. This man obviously knew Samantha Carter and George knew that this was quite an accomplishment, which gained George's respect for Jack. "Jack, I think you and I are going to get along quite well," and with that he held out his hand for the man to shake. A quick handshake later and the two walked in the house together.

Sam looked up from where she sat with an infant in her arms when Jack entered the room. He took the seat next to her and looked at the child in her arms.

Sam took her time looking at Jack, making sure that he was okay with kids. His face lacked the usual lines, and instead just showed the awe of an adult looking at a baby.

Jessie approached Jack and climbed into his lap so that she could better see the baby. While Jack was initially shocked by having the child in his lap, he quickly softened up and pulled the girl closer to him so that she could see the baby.

"Hey there little one," Jack whispered as he peered at the baby, "what's your name?"

Sam smiled at Jack and said, "This here is my godson, James Richard Knox, or J.R. for short."

"Godson?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah," Sam smiled, "Lindsay and me agreed back when we were both in our senior year of high school that we would be godmother's to each other's first son. This is only the second time I've seen J.R. since he was born."

"He's a cutie," Jack commented as he looked at the little boy's blue eyes, "He'll have to beat the girls off with a stick."

"So will I," pouted the little girl in Jack's lap.

Jack took the opportunity to tickle Jessie until she could hardly breathe. Only then did he release her and she ran off yelling "Mommy! Save me!"

"You just had to go and get her all excited didn't you," Sam proclaimed with a faint smile.

"Yep," replied Jack with a smirk on his face.

"Would you like to hold him," Sam asked.

"Maybe later," Jack offered, slightly scared of the idea of holding an infant again. "Where's his dad at?"

Sam looked around to check who was in the room before replying, "Shipped out to Iraq right after J.R. was born. He's in the Air Force."

"Oh," Jack said, "I can relate. I missed Charlie being born because I was on a mission. I think I may have been around for a total of a year of his life. I missed so much."

"You were where you had to be Jack, nothing you can do about that now," Sam offered as a way of comfort.

They didn't get any farther into that conversation as the call came from the kitchen that lunch was ready.

The group sat down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and a fruit salad. The pies had been carefully set aside until later.

As the group passed the food around the table, each person taking some, they began to catch up on the happenings in each of their lives. Jack took the opportunity to just eat and listen until after they all finished eating. The two children had been put down for naps when the discussion reached the topic of work.

"So Sam what are you doing now?" Cam questioned as he shoved an overflowing spoon of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Mostly, I'm teaching. I get to do a little lab work on the side at Cheyenne Mountain," Sam explained.

"I can't believe that you didn't get the call to do some flying," Cam stated, "You'd be a shoe-in to be a squadron leader after your work in the Gulf."

"I'm pretty sure that Dad had something to do with that one," Sam claimed, slightly upset at her father.

"Hold up here!" Jack interrupted as he looked at Sam, "You're a pilot?"

Sam didn't get a chance to answer as Cam jumped in, "Hell yeah she's a pilot. She can fly circles around most people I know, myself included."

Sam's face was showing a clear blush as she turned to Jack and jokingly accused, "You never got around to reading my personal file did you? Most everything you don't know is in there-including the fact that I flew during the Gulf. You won't find out much after that though, because it's all marked classified."

"Research or field work," Jack questioned.

Sam squirmed a little bit before saying, "I'm not at liberty to say."

The whole table shared a small laugh before Cam focused his attention on Jack. "So Jack, what about you? We all know what Sam did and is doing now, and I've been flying for the past few years. George is on his last command before he retires, so that leaves us with you."

Jack didn't even flinch under the stares that were being directed his way. "I'm currently the CO of the ROTC program at the University of Colorado, where Sam's teaching a class. That's how we met. Before that pretty much everything I did was classified," Jack explained, "the type where if I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Though he spotted a hidden spark in Sam's eyes, which told him that she knew he was joking, everyone else had shocked expressions on their faces. "I'm joking guys," Jack clarified with a small, reassuring smile, "Now, how about a slice of that pumpkin pie."

----

Jack was never so glad to have a meal finished, as he was that day when they walked out of the Hammond household. The three officers settled in for the short drive to Peterson to drop Cam off.

It was Cam that brought up the suggestion for the following day's activities. "I don't know if either of you have plans for tomorrow, but if you were interested in taking an F-16 out for a test flight, I could sure use your help. Most of my squad is pretty green and could use someone new to fly against that's got some experience. It gets kinda old chasing after the same people all the time."

Jack and Sam shared a quick glance before Jack's eyes went back to the road. "I think we could do that Cam," stated Sam, "after all, I need to put in some hours so I don't lose my pilot status, and you can't get much better that an F-16."

They dropped Cam off at his quarters after confirming the time for the following day.

When they got to Sam's house, Jack turned off the truck and got out to walk Sam to her door. Sam unlocked the door, but before she went inside, she turned to Jack and said, "You now that you passed the first test today. You made it past the 'friends' portion of my family, something that none of my other," Sam suddenly stopped and blushed, realizing what she had just been about to say.

Jack saved Sam the embarrassment as he said, "I had a good time, and the next time that any of your family is in town, you should probably take the opportunity to introduce me. Maybe by then I'll actually deserve to be read the riot act by a General, like I was today."

Sam groaned and closed her eyes. "Please tell me that he didn't."

"Oh, of course he did. I would too if my friend's daughter, a girl that I practically considered my own daughter, brought a guy like me for Thanksgiving dinner, even if he insisted that they were 'just friends'," explained Jack. "Don't worry about it. I've had worse meetings with Generals."

Sam opened the door and went inside, as she turned around to close it and said, "Remember that when you meet my dad."

Jack was half way home before he realized that Sam had said 'when' not 'if'. And he had to smile like a fool as he realized how much he was looking forward to the end of the semester so that they could have a long overdue conversation about the potential for a future relationship.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I really appreciate everyone's notes and suggestions from the last chapter. All of them help make my stories better and more realistic. Thanks to everyone one reviews!

----

The next morning, Sam and Jack met at the base dressed in BDUs. A quick meeting with Cam about what he needed them to do in the air, and they ducked into separate locker rooms to change into flight suits.

When they emerged, Cam had assembled his squad who were already dressed in flight suits and was addressing them. "As most of you know, today is our last day of training before we are deployed to Iraq. Today we have two veteran pilots with us, Major Samantha Carter and Colonel Jack O'Neill. They'll be flying the plane that will be your target for the day. If you manage to get a lock on their plane, I'll buy you a drink tonight," Cam offered.

As the group broke apart, Sam turned to Cam and said, "So no pressure, huh?"

Cam just patted Sam on the back and said, "Not a bit."

And Sam went off to climb in the second seat of the F-16.

----

When Sam and Jack successfully landed their plane three hours later, they both were sporting huge grins. As they set foot on the tarmac, they were greeted by Cam's squadron standing at attention to greet them. The squad saluted Jack and Sam, and Jack and Sam returned the salutes before Jack called, "At ease. Excellent flying today gentleman, even if none of you could shoot me down." Jack added a knowing smirk that was meant to drive the young men nuts.

"Thanks for letting us fly against you," Sam offered, "It was a pleasure."

"The regular place tonight, 1900 hours. Dismissed," Cam called, officially ending the training session.

Despite the dismissal, most of the squad converged on Jack and Sam, thanking them for their work and asking for advice. Eventually Jack spoke up after seeing the crowd surrounding Sam and the look she was sending him that pleaded 'help me'.

"Hey!" Jack called, grabbing the attention of the crowd, "I know that you all want to know how we did what we did today, but Major Carter and I would really like to get cleaned up. I promise you that we will meet you tonight for a drink though and I'm sure Major Carter will be more than willing to answer all your questions then."

At the fact that Jack was pushing all the questions on her, Sam smiled sweetly, "Of course the Colonel and I will be there, but you should all know that the Colonel was the one in the pilot's seat today."

Instantly the squad's attention turned to Jack who whispered a "For crying out loud," before speaking up to say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But right now Carter and I both need showers and a change of clothes."

Together, Jack and Sam separated from the group and made their way towards the locker room.

"Carter, I thought you were my friend, and there you go pawning the pilots off on me," pouted Jack.

Sam offered Jack a cheesy smile as she opened the door to the locker room, "Well sir, I just thought you needed a taste of your own medicine."

----

That night, Sam entered the bar and instantly heard someone call, "Over here Sam," and she turned to see Cam waving her over to a corner where several tables had already been pulled together and had people sitting around them.

Sam unceremoniously dropped her jacket on the back of a chair and dropping into it as Jack handed her a beer. "Thanks sir," Sam said as she reached for the beer only to have Jack unwilling to relinquish his hold on it. Sam winced as she realized her mistake, "Sorry Jack."

Jack smiled and let Sam have the beer.

"So Major Carter," began one of the pilots.

"No," Sam said, "we're off duty tonight, so it's Sam."

"Okay, Sam," the pilot emphasized her name, "How did you avoid us getting a target lock on you when we were on your tails this afternoon?"

That question soon dissolved into a discussion between the pilots as each shared their own pieces of advice and past stories. Complete with arm movements and big gestures, the pilots traded stories in an animated fashion for several hours. Eventually the group dwindled until it was just Sam, Jack, and Cam remaining.

"Well, it's been fun guys," Cam began as he raised his beer for a last toast of the night, "To new friends."

"To fellow pilots," Jack added as he clinked his beer.

"To safe landings," Sam finished as she added her beer to the others.

One large gulp later, and the threesome stood up to gather their jackets and as they exited the restaurant, it was Cam who offered his hand to Jack in a friendly handshake. Yet Cam was surprised when Jack reached for his hand only to pull him into a quick back pounding man-hug. They parted and Jack said, "Take care Cam. You've got a good squad flying with you. Make sure you look me up the next time you're in town, even if it's only for me to buy you a beer and congratulate you on making Major."

"Do you know something that I don't," Cam questioned.

"No one has said anything if that's what you're asking, but you're a good officer who's long overdue for a promotion. You'll make Major within the next 6 months," Jack replied confidently.

"Thank you sir," said Cam, who despite being out of uniform snapped to attention and saluted Jack, who offered a crisp salute in return.

Jack turned to Sam and said, "See you on Monday 0800 in the gym right Carter?"

"Yes sir," Sam responded eagerly, as Jack walked towards his truck, leaving Sam and Cam to say their good-byes in private.

Sam stepped towards Cam as he opened his arms for a hug. Sam squeezed Cam tight, holding on like she would never let go. "Promise me that you'll try to be careful," Sam requested.

"Always am," replied Cam. "Look out for yourself Sam and don't be scared of a starting a new relationship just because you think every guy will end up like Jonas. Jack is a good man."

Sam pulled herself away from Cam and lightly slugged him in the arm, crying, "We're just friends Cam."

"Whatever helps you sleep better at night," Cam claimed with a smile, "just remember to invite me to the wedding."

This time Sam punched him a little harder before pulling Cam into one last hug before heading for her car.

Cam headed for his car borrowed from the base motor pool, when he passed Jack who was leaning against his own vehicle, watching as Sam moved towards her own car.

"You know she'd be mad at you if she caught you checking on her," Cam said as he stopped to talk to Jack.

Jack smirked as he said, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, I out rank her."

Cam huffed, "Never stopped her before."

"I kinda figured that."

Cam made sure that Sam's car had already pulled out of the parking lot before he spoke his next words. "You do know that she was engaged before right," Cam questioned.

"She told me," Jack replied.

"I don't know the whole story," Cam offered, "But I do know that it did not end on a good note. Don't be surprised if she backs off. She did it the whole way through the Academy. Every time a guy would get close, he would inevitably screw things up. I think it's to the point now where she thinks that everything that goes wrong in a relationship is her fault."

"I figured that one out by myself," Jack declared proudly.

"But the most important thing to do is to find a balance in your relationship with her regarding work. Her career is the most important thing to her and if you can't deal with that, you'd better not even think about dating her," Cam counseled.

At the word dating, Jack's eyes grew big as he quickly explained, "We're not dating, we're just friends."

Cam gave a small chuckle as he patted Jack on the shoulder and said, "Not yet, but you will be. Just don't forget to invite me to the wedding."

If it was possible for Jack's eyes to grow any bigger, the word wedding caused such a reaction. "Who said anything about a wedding," Jack demanded to know.

"No one has said anything, if that's what you're asking," Cam said, throwing Jack's earlier words back at him, "I'm just saying that there's something between the two of you, something really special. Just think about it."

"I will," promised Jack. "Aren't you going to threaten me like General Hammond and Lindsay did or are you above that?"

"Since you insist," Cam smiled evilly, "if you hurt her, I'll take whatever pieces Sam leaves behind and happily help her bury your body. Then, we'll pay a visit to General Carter who will be more than happy to wipe away anything that might be used to show that you ever existed, because you were the man who hurt his little girl."

"Okay," Jack accepted as he turned and left Cam standing there, starring after him.

If he had been listening he would have heard Cam whisper, "Take care of her Jack and don't be scared to tell her how you really feel."

----

The last two weeks of classes before the end of the semester flew by for Sam and Jack. Both were extra busy with their students and this was even truer for Jack who prepared for the graduation of several cadets.

Still, Sam and Jack found time to be together. They shared an occasional meal in the evenings and three days a week, they began their mornings in the gym. By working out together they quickly found an easy pattern that allowed them to communicate without words. This was never more evident then when it came time for the last evaluation of Sam's team the week before finals.

Together, Sam and Jack walked towards where Sam's team waited. Despite Jack's occasional questioning about the performance of her team, Sam had refused to do anything more than state that the team was "making progress".

So when Sam's team broke apart from the huddle they were in to stand at attention, Jack was slightly surprised, though he hid it well as he addressed the cadets. "This is your final evaluation before graduation. Complete the course in the required time and you'll receive an acceptable on your final evaluation from me. I don't give out anything better than that without someone seriously impressing me, which consider your last performance; I doubt you will be capable of."

Jack did an abrupt about face and stalked towards the observation tower as the team headed towards the starting line of the obstacle course. After Sam got them started on the course, she quickly made her way to where Jack was already observing the cadets crawling through the mud hole.

Sam picked up her binoculars to watch her team and said, "You just had to pull the hard ass solider on them," Sam said and then added a "Sir" for good measure.

Jack offered her a trademark grin and replied, "You wouldn't have it any other way would you Carter."

Sam chose to ignore his comment as she watched her team approach the wall, the one obstacle that would decide how much her team had grown since Jack's last visit. Since the obstacle course was considered to be the ultimate test for a team, it was only administered two or three times a semester.

Jack watched even closer, focusing on the two cadets that had caused the problem last time, Sampson and Hacker. The two had rushed to the wall and successfully scaled it. Now they stood waiting for the rest of the team to catch up. The last three members had approached the wall and Jenkins help hoist up Hacker first who grabbed the outstretched hands of Sampson and Powers. They pulled her up before reaching down to where the other female team member, Williams was waiting for help.

Once Williams and Hacker were both secure on the top of the wall, they focused their efforts on getting down, while Sampson and Powers again reached down to help up Jenkins. Once the whole team was all standing on the ground again, together they completed the half mile to the finish line at a dead run.

Jack and Sam were standing there waiting for them. Although all five cadets were breathing hard and holding their sides when they crossed, the fact they did it together filled Sam with pride.

Eventually Jack spoke, "You can tell General Kerrigan that he will have my evaluation on his desk by the end of finals week," and then he just turned and walked away.

"Major Carter," Cadet Williams asked, still breathing quite heavily, "Does that mean we passed?"

Sam shrugged her shoulder and said, "If you graduate, then you passed. Dismissed cadets."

Sam headed for her office where she knew Jack would be waiting for her. She opened the door to the office to find Jack sitting in her chair, behind her desk.

"So?" Sam asked.

"That was better than last time," Jack admitted.

"Doesn't take a PhD to see that one Colonel," Sam retorted.

"Oh, feeling a little insubordinate today aren't we Major?" Jack joked, "Luckily I'm in a good mood. How about we go find some Jell-O and I'll tell you what I'm going to write in my evaluation."

When they arrived at the Academy cafeteria, Jack picked up his container of red Jell-O followed by another bowl full of blue Jell-O for Sam and paid for it while Sam found spoons and seats. Jack looked around to locate Sam and found her sitting with her team. Internally he groaned because she had him beat, though he wasn't going to give up yet.

Jack took the seat across from her and handed her the blue Jell-O in exchange for a spoon from her.

It was Sam who asked the question, "So what is going into that evaluation?" and smirked with the knowledge that Jack would find some way to get her back.

The cadets waited silently, starring at Jack, wanting to know just what he had to say.

Jack played with the Jell-O in his mouth for a few seconds as he thought about how he was going to say this. "Because you completed the course in the required time, I will be giving you a pass on the exercise. But I will also be including a recommendation for an appropriate punishment in my report."

"Punishment? But sir, we complete the course in the required amount of time," protested Sampson as the other cadets joined him with similar comments.

"Cadets!" commanded Sam in her best 'shut up and listen to me now' voice, "You should wait to find out what the punishment Colonel O'Neill has in mind for you before you start complaining. The Colonel is renowned for his 'unique' forms of punishment."

"I'll take that as a compliment Carter," accepted Jack. "She's right though, you should wait to find out what the punishment is before you complain." Jack stuck another spoonful of Jell-O into his mouth, and acted like he was done talking. At the same time Sam hid a grin, knowing that Jack was just leading the cadets on for his own amusement.

It took almost five minutes for the cadets to take turns nudging each other until Hacker asked, "What is the punishment sir?"

While Hacker was talking, Jack had shoveled another spoon of Jell-O into his mouth, knowing that this would delay his response. By the time Jack had swallowed the Jell-O, all the cadets were starring at him and squirming in their chairs, firmly believing that Jack was going to deliver bad news. Before he spoke, Jack looked at Sam and noticed the hint of a smile on her face and the glint of laughter in her eyes, and he knew that she already guessed what was going on.

"I'm going to suggest to General Kerrigan," Jack began, "that because you have worked together so well, according to what I saw today and what I've heard from Major Carter, that you should be kept together as a team. You work well together."

The cadets' jaws hit the floor as Jenkins spoke up, "No offense sir, but that is the best punishment that any of us has ever had!"

Laughter around the table included a chuckle from Jack. Sam said, "The Colonel never intended to punish you guys, just whichever commander gets stuck with your team."

Sighs of relief were heard around the table as suddenly everything made sense. The cadet traded glances before Powers spoke up. "Sir, I think that we find your punishment to be acceptable and are more than willing to carry it out."

The table shared another laugh as Jack and Sam stood up, quickly followed by the cadets who, as one, offered the two superior officers a salute that was quickly returned.

As Jack left the cafeteria, he suddenly realized that teaching wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam and Jack were gathered in Jack's office, busy grading papers as finals week was quickly drawing to a close. For the cadets, this meant that Christmas was drawing near. For Sam, it also meant the coming of a Christmas spent alone. But before Christmas could arrive, Sam would have to go to D.C. for the 'Accomplishments in the Air Force' awards ceremony. Although she had initially thought about not going, when General Hammond had found out, he had ordered her to go.

And so Sam went out with Lindsay and found a great dress for the evening ball that would follow the previous day's awards ceremony. It had taken visits to four different stores before they had found the right dress, and even Sam had to admit that she loved the way the dress looked on her. She had almost hadn't bought the dress though when Lindsay said that every guy in the room would be drooling when she walked into the room. But Lindsay had convinced her that it was an Air Force function and she could always hide with General Hammond all night if need be. Sam wasn't convinced, but bought the dress anyways.

But before Sam could hop a flight to D.C. in a week, Sam had to finish grading her final exams, make a final evaluation of the ROTC cadets who were graduating, and finally she had to make an evaluation of each of the cadets on her team.

Jack had no less work to complete. He had already done an interview with each of the graduating ROTC cadets and now he had to complete their evaluations along with suggesting where each of them should be assigned. They were both felt like they were swimming in piles of paperwork.

It was 1800 hours on the Friday of finals week when Jack and Sam finally reached the end of their individual paperwork. Effectively moving that stuff off of Jack's desk, all that remained was the files of the graduating ROTC cadets. Even though it was Jack who would sign off and give the final recommendations, Sam had taught a class for each of the graduating cadets and sat through their final interviews with Jack and Jack thought her opinion would be very helpful as he completed the evaluations.

"Who am I joking," thought Jack, "I just wanted to spend some time with her and maybe talk about this 'thing' that is between us."

Several hours later, Jack signed his name for the last time, threw his pen down, closed the folder, and dropped it on the completed stack declaring, "We're done."

"You're sure," Sam asked.

"Even if we're not, we're leaving now and going to go find something to eat," Jack commanded as he glanced at his watch and saw it was almost 2100 hours, way past time for supper.

Sam glanced at her watch and just brushed off her hunger, claiming "I was planning on working on some stuff in my lab tonight."

"Not tonight you're not," Jack declared, "Tonight, I am taking you out for dinner to celebrate the end of my first semester as a teacher. And if I do have to say so myself, I think it was a rather good semester."

Sam giggled at his comment only to receive a reprimand of "No giggling Major," from Jack.

Sam threw Jack a glare and stated, "As of 1700 hours I am no longer assigned at all to the ROTC program at the University of Colorado. Which means, that while you may have a higher rank than me but you are no longer my superior and therefore can not order me to stop giggling and expect me to obey."

Jack had learned a long time ago to learn when to give up, and this was one of those cases. "Okay," he accepted before fully realizing what she had said. When it dawned on him, Jack didn't think about what he was saying and spit out, "So this means that I can ask you out on a date and not have anyone scream frat regs at me right?"

Sam offered a guarded reply, "Technically you could."

Before Jack lost his nerve, he asked, "So how about me and you go on a date next Friday?"

Sam was silent for a few seconds before saying "I can't."

Jack took her reply to mean that she didn't want to date. "Then forget I asked about it. I'm fine with us being just friends," he insisted as he went to get his jacket so he could flee his office as fast as possible.

"Jack," Sam called, stopping him with just that one word. "I didn't mean I don't want to date you, because I do," she reassured with a blush, "I'm just going to be in D.C. on that night so I won't exactly be around for a date."

Realizing that Sam had essentially agreed to go on a date with him, Jack broke out into a huge grin. But then he had to ask, "Just what are you doing in D.C.?"

Sam squirmed a little before admitting, "Attending an Air Force function that I was ordered to attend. Supposedly I'm receiving a commendation so General Hammond is making me go."

"That's next weekend? And you have to go?" Jack asked.

"Yes and yes," Sam confirmed.

"So we can't go on a date on Friday night?" Jack questioned.

"No date on Friday night," Sam reiterated.

"What about Saturday?" Jack asked.

"I fly back Sunday morning," Sam clarified. "What about the following week?"

"I'm planning on leaving Sunday to spend Christmas somewhere else," Jack offered, leaving it unstated that there were things in Colorado Springs he didn't want to face at Christmas time, something that Sam could easily understand.

"Oh," Sam acknowledged, "What about New Year's Eve?"

"I'll be back by then," Jack smiled, thinking about ringing in the New Year with Sam, "So New Year's Eve will be our first date then?"

Sam smiled at the idea and said, "Yeah, New Year's Eve," as the idea of kissing Jack O'Neill at midnight was already flooding her mind.

"So dinner then?" Jack asked, letting his hunger judge his actions.

"I guess I can do dinner tonight," Sam admitted, making it sound like she was making a huge sacrifice.

And so they had dinner that night at Uncle Drew's, ceremoniously clinking glasses of soda in honor of finishing their paperwork. Then at the end of their meal, right before they got to dessert, Sam got a phone call, claiming that her attention was required at Cheyenne Mountain immediately.

Sam apologized for cutting the meal short, but Jack just waved her off saying, "It's work. I get it. I'll give you a call sometime this week and maybe we can get together."

With that, Sam disappeared and Jack didn't see her again for an entire week.

----

Jack spent the week finishing up any remaining paperwork and preparing for Thursday night's commissioning ceremony for the graduating cadets.

On Monday, Jack tried calling Sam's house only to get her answering machine, but he left a message.

On Tuesday, Jack called her house again, and was starting to get worried. So he called her cell phone and got her voice mail.

On Wednesday, Jack was relieved to answer his cell phone and hear Sam on the other end.

"O'Neill."

"Hey, it's me," Sam said sounding slightly distracted.

"Sam," Jack said, "Where have you been? I was starting to get worried."

"I'm sorry," Sam apologized, "I haven't left Cheyenne Mountain since I got here Friday night."

"You haven't left?" Jack asked in a disbelieving tone.

"No," Sam confirmed now sounding tired. "One of the scientists that I work with managed to crash a program that took me over a year to create. It's taken me this long to restore the program from back-ups. But the back-up was several months old so now I have to go in and manual make every change that I've made in the past few months."

"So I guess this means that you won't be making it to the commissioning ceremony tomorrow?" Jack asked, still slightly hoping.

"Most likely not," Sam confirmed but then gave a small laugh as she said, "But I'm sending General Hammond in my place, so you won't have to sit through all the speeches by yourself."

Instantly, Jack groaned.

"Hey, General Hammond isn't that bad!" Sam protested.

"He didn't threaten your life within 10 minutes of meeting you did he though?" Jack offered as a way of explanation.

"Well, I'm sure he was just looking out for his goddaughter, and considering how we met, who can really blame him?"

"Is this pick on your ex-CO day or something?" Jack protested, a hint of whining entering his voice.

"Didn't you get the memo?"

"Alright! You win," Jack conceded, just glad to hear that Sam was okay and that despite the obvious exhaustion in her voice, was still in good spirits. "Is there any chance I'll see you before you fly out on Friday?" Jack asked.

"I doubt it," Sam replied. "I'm flying out with General Hammond at 0400 hours."

"Oh. Okay then, I guess I'll see you New Year's Eve then at O'Malley's?" Jack questioned.

"Unless something comes up, I'll meet you there," Sam confirmed.

"Then Sam? Go get some sleep, you sound exhausted, and find something to eat because I'm sure that you haven't been eating right," Jack requested.

Sam's silence was the only answer Jack needed to know that he had hit the nail on the head.

"Don't make me make it an order Major," Jack reminded her with a light hearted voice.

"Sir, yes sir Colonel sir," Sam replied, barely able to hide the laughter in her voice.

"A yes would have been plenty Sam. I'm going to let you go so you can go to bed," Jack reminded her before the two exchanged good-byes and hung up.

----

It was Thursday and Jack was in his dreadfully uncomfortable dress uniform in the Air Force Academy gymnasium sitting next to General George Hammond in front of a crowd of cadets from the Academy and ROTC program who were soon to be commissioned Air Force Officers. The ceremony droned on, until General Kerrigan began reading names off.

At this point, Jack and George stood up and began pinning 2nd Lieutenant insignias on all of the cadet's dress uniforms.

Jack had never been so glad to have something over with as he was when that ceremony was over. Although when many of the cadets came over to personally thank him for his efforts with them, Jack was secretly pleased, despite trying to brush it off in his usual gruff manner.

Once the gym had emptied out a bit, Jack took the opportunity to talk to George.

"General Hammond," Jack began, "I'm glad that you could make it today, although I would have preferred to have Major Carter here."

George smiled, "I imagine that she would have rather been here than fixing someone else's mistakes. I'm planning to send her home this evening even if she doesn't manage to fix everything."

"So you are going to D.C. too sir?" Jack questioned.

"It was the only way I could convince Sam to go," George admitted. "I'm surprised that you aren't going because I saw your name on the list of people who received an invitation."

Jack rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet as he replied, "I'm not one for ceremony and such, and even worse for the parties that come afterwards."

"She's missed you," George said and when he saw the shocked expression on Jack's face continued, "Not that she would ever say it, but when she called you yesterday, she smiled for the first time since she got there."

It took all of Jack's strength to admit, "I've missed her too."

"So why aren't you going to D.C. with her? You've even got the perfect reason," reminded George.

Jack did a double take at that comment, "Sir?"

George chuckled and said, "What I mean son is that you have an invitation and so if you just happened to show up, you'd be able to claim that you weren't there just to see Sam."

Jack instantly objected, "With all due respect sir, we're just friends."

"Say whatever you want Jack, but just remember that 'talk' we had and we'll be fine," George said with a smile as their conversation was interrupted by one of the cadets who wanted to talk with Jack.

General George Hammond walked away from the conversation quite pleased with himself. "I wondered what the chances are of a sarcastic Colonel showing up in time for the awards ceremony on Friday?" he wondered. "Not very good," he admitted to himself, "but the odds are much better that Jack will be there in time for the formal celebration Saturday evening."

----

General Hammond's comment, "No more like suggestion," thought Jack, had gotten Jack thinking about how he was going to get himself to D.C. without letting Sam know. Already a plan was forming in his mind. A quick call to Peterson revealed that there was a flight going out mid-day Saturday, which, as he calculated the time difference, would put him in D.C. with plenty of time to steal a few dances with her at the celebration.

So Friday afternoon Jack spent in his office finishing up all his paperwork. He planned to make a trip to his cabin in Minnesota for Christmas, and he had no intention of taking any paperwork with him!

Friday night Jack made an appearance at the ROTC staff Christmas party, and while, even if he hated to admit it, did actually enjoy himself, he knew that if Sam had been there, he would have enjoyed it more.

Saturday morning was spent packing. One set of stuff for his trip to the cabin and another smaller bag for his trip to D.C. He planned to take both pieces of luggage with him and catch a civilian flight from D.C. to Minnesota where he could rent a truck and drive to his cabin. He planned on picking up whatever supplies, minus clothes that he needed on the way to the cabin.

Looking at his bags, Jack was now packed and only had one more thing to do, so as he grabbed his dress uniform which was in a garment bag, locked up his house, and loaded the bags into his truck for the drive to the base. Jack pulled out cell phone and dialed Sam's number.

----

Since Sam had last spoke to Jack, she had managed to fix everything in the dialing program and even make a few improvements. She was just attempting her first dial of the gate when General Hammond appeared. The first six chevrons locked, but as usual, the seventh did not. Sam smiled, pleased that she had completed her task before the General's deadline.

"Major Carter," George called, "I take it that you have completed your project."

Sam stood and nodded her head while answering, "Yes sir, everything is back up and running as well, if not better than before."

"Glad to hear it Major. Since you are done, I see no reason for you to remain on base and I do not expect to see you until we fly out of Peterson tomorrow morning," George ordered.

"Of course not sir," replied Sam, "permission to be dismissed?"

"Granted, and good work Major," George replied with a small smile on his face as she quickly gathered her things and left the room.

----

At her house, Sam quickly took a shower to relax herself, and in an attempt to wake up. Then she threw some clothes and toiletries into her flight bag, placed her dress uniform and her new dress into a garment bag, and then put them in her car so that she would have as little as possible to do in the morning.

She went to her bedroom and set the alarm for 0230 hours, collapsed into her bed, and let sleep take her.

When her alarm woke her at the appointed time, Sam jumped in the shower again to wake herself up, grabbed a cup of coffee and made her way to the base.

There she met General Hammond and the two of them set out for D.C.


	9. Chapter 9

When General George Hammond and Major Samantha Carter landed in D.C., they were met by a young Lieutenant who chauffeured them to their hotel. The two officers checked in and took their luggage to their rooms.

A few minutes later, Sam heard a knock on the door, and when she opened it, she found General Hammond standing there.

"Major, I have a meeting to attend to this morning, so I suggest you get a few hours of sleep before this afternoon's awards ceremony; I will meet you there at 1600 hours," he explained.

"Yes sir," Sam replied before shutting the door and immediately falling into bed again. In no time, Sam was asleep.

----

When her alarm rang several hours later, Sam felt much better. A quick shower later and Sam felt human again.

It was a few minutes before 1600 hours when Sam, wearing her dress blues, walked into the room where the award presentations were to be held. While there were chairs around the outside of the room, the middle area was cleared so that the officers could stand at attention while the awards were presented.

Sam quickly found herself standing among other officers, none of whom she recognized. When it came time for the award that Sam was receiving, several other officers were called forward at the same time.

"Major Samantha Carter, Major Louis Ferretti, Major Charles Kawalsky," began the General of the Air Force, who was presenting the award, and he continued listing off names as the officers approached the front of the room. The General of the Air Force proceeded to pin on the medals for each of the officers, assisted by several other Generals, none of whom Sam recognized.

In fact, if she hadn't been bored by the whole proceeding, she never would have noticed a man, dressed in civilian clothing, seated at the back of the room. For a second their eyes locked, then he got up and walked out of the room, not even staying to speak with his daughter.

After the presentation of her award, Sam returned to her original location in the middle of the room where she proceeded to zone out until they reached the part of the award ceremony which involved promotions. It was then that Sam began paying attention again just to see if she could have possibly missed one of her friends in the large crowd. After promoting two lieutenants to captain and three captains to major, the General of the Air Force announced, "And finally, the last promotion of the day goes to a very deserving officer. On behalf of the President of the United States, I am happy to announce the promotion of Major Samantha Carter to Lieutenant Colonel.

All Sam knew was that one second she was standing and watching other people receive their promotions, and the next, she was standing at the front of the room having her insignia changed by the General of the Air Force and General Hammond. An exchange of salutes and one oath later, and she was now Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter. Sam never saw her father standing at the back of the room grinning with pride.

----

Despite Sam being excited and extremely pleased about being promoted, she was too tired to accept any of the invitations she received to go out and celebrate their awards, so she politely declined.

She wanted to disappear from the large crowd, but she made a point to see General Hammond first. He naturally congratulated her and asked if he could buy her a drink to celebrate. Sam politely declined and thanked the man for honoring her by pining her new insignia on her, something that George just brushed off.

With that accomplished, Sam retreated to her hotel room, and after divesting herself of her uniform and tiredly pulling on her sleepwear, Sam found herself fast asleep despite it being only 1900 hours, much earlier than what she normally went to bed. Considering she hadn't gone to bed at a normal hour for a week, she forgave herself for her exhaustion.

----

Jack was driving to Peterson and had his cell phone to his ear. The number he called rang and rang and rang until finally an extremely out-of-it voice answered.

"Carter."

"Sam," Jack said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd be asleep. I'll hang up now and let you go back to sleep."

"No!" cried Sam, "I'm awake now so we might as well talk," she claimed as she sat up in the bed pulling the covers up with her.

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you and find out how the awards ceremony went before I left to go to Minnesota. The cell reception up there can be kinda patchy, so I figured if I wanted to talk to you, I needed to do it now," Jack explained and lied, because he wasn't headed to Minnesota-yet.

"It went well. I got another medal to add to my ever growing collection," she admitted, conveniently omitting her change of rank.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for a party right now?" Jack asked.

A glance at her watch told Sam all she needed to know. "Probably, but there is nothing wrong with being fashionably late," she declared, "and I'm in the Air Force; it doesn't take me as long as most women to get ready."

Jack chuckled and said, "Sure it doesn't," as he approached the entrance for Peterson Air Force Base. "I'm getting ready to enter the parking garage at the airport, so I need to go," he lied.

"All right," Sam said, a little feeling of sadness entering her as she realized she hadn't really talked to him, let alone seen Jack in over a week. "I guess I'll talk to you when you get back from Minnesota."

"Yeah," Jack said, "Bye," and promptly hung up the phone as he rolled down the window to talk to the guards at the gate.

----

At that point, Sam rolled over and slept for a little bit longer, two more hours to be exact, but she set her alarm first so that she would have plenty of time to get ready.

Two hours later, Sam rolled out of bed and started the water running for a nice relaxing bubble bath. The oversized tub easily accommodated her slightly longer frame. After a nice time spent relaxing, Sam shaved her legs and pulled the plug on the bath. A quick run of the shower allowed her to wash her hair and remove all vestiges of the bubbles from the bath.

She pulled out an overly fluffy towel and dried off before wrapping herself in the extra cozy bath robe and settling in front of the mirror to apply her make-up and do her hair.

Despite what Sam had told Jack, it would take her significantly longer than most women to get ready because she was severely under-confident of her ability to properly apply her make-up and do her hair.

She started with her hair. Overly short to make it easy to take care of in a military setting, it left Sam with very few options. She quickly blow dried it and used a brush to style it so that it flicked out slightly at the end.

Then she began to tackle her make-up. It took her several tries and almost an hour to get her makeup on and even then, she didn't like the way she looked.

After that, she discarded the robe and put on the matching undergarments that went with her dress. She then pulled her dress out of her garment bag and slipped into it. As she zipped it up, she noticed how it fit perfectly, and even she had to admit that Lindsay was right: the dress did look good on her, though not good enough to "knock the guys dead," as Lindsay had put it.

Finally, she sat down in front of the mirror and put in a pair of small earrings that had belonged to her mother. She then removed the last evidence of her involvement with the Air Force by removing her dog tags and leaving them on the counter.

She sat down and fastened her two inch high heels to her feet. It was only when she glanced in the mirror one last time that she realized it had taken her over three hours to get ready, and the last time she had put this much effort into looking this good, she had been going to her senior prom, with a date!

----

At the time Sam was leaving her hotel room, Jack's plane was landing in D.C. Because he hadn't requested that anyone be available to shuttle him to the hotel, he went straight to the entrance of the base where he was able to quickly hail a taxi.

When he arrived at the hotel that Air Force personnel frequented while in Washington, he handed the cab driver some cash and walked into the lobby. Now it was approaching 1900 hours, the time that the party was scheduled to start. Jack hoped that by his late arrival he would be able to avoid seeing anyone he knew. His luck held, and he was able to sneak unseen up to his room.

A quick shower to erase any sign that he had been traveling, and Jack dressed in his uniform. As he picked up his hat, he took one last look in the mirror to make sure that not a speck of dirt had found its way onto his uniform.

Jack then took the elevator back down to the lobby. A short cab ride later, Jack was at the much fancier hotel where the party was being held.

----

Sam had arrived at the location of the party at the same time as her father who was also in his dress blues. His eyes opened wide in shock at her appearance.

"Sam," he greeted, "you look absolutely stunning. May I have the honor of escorting you in this evening?"

Rather than make a scene, Sam grasped her father's offered arm and said, "Thank you, Dad."

Together the two of them walked into the hotel and towards the ballroom where the celebration was being held.

As they walked, retired Major General Jacob Carter spoke to his daughter. "Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant Colonel Carter," he said with a smile on his face. "I know that I don't say it enough, but I really am proud of you Sam, even if you earned it by working in deep space radar telemetry when you always dreamed of NASA."

Sam chose to ignore his jibe towards her choice of career path and instead politely thanked him for his words, "Thanks, Dad."

All was forgotten though when the two of them made their way into the ballroom where the party was being held. Lindsay had been wrong about the guys dropping dead, but the only thing that stopped them was the fact she arrived on the arm of a Major General. Despite that, jaws hit the floor, and Sam thought she could see drool dripping towards the floor from a few of the men's mouths.

General Hammond approached and exchanged greetings before again congratulating Sam on her promotion. He then entered into a discussion with Jacob. Sam took the opportunity to escape from her father and headed for the bar.

She made it there only to find two majors fighting over which one of them would buy her a drink. It was at that point that she decided to play the role of the dumb blond who was a General's daughter. After all, who would recognize the female lieutenant colonel from the day before as the woman in the blue dress standing in front of them?

That decided, Sam let one of the two men buy her a drink, and she promised the other one that he could get her the next one. She even let them escort her to an empty table and took a seat.

The two men introduced themselves as Major Louis Ferretti and Major Charles Kawalsky. They spent the next hour relegating her with stories about their days as pilots, even though both of them assured her that they now did more work as ground troops. Playing her part to the hilt, she laughed in all the right places, asked all the right innocent questions, and generally played up to their expectations, all the while biding her time and enjoying the secret she was keeping from them.

Finally Lou, as he insisted he be called, worked up the courage to ask her dance, and she accepted. To Sam, it seemed like Ferretti, as she thought of him, was enjoying his opportunity to parade her around the dance floor.

They were at the end of their first dance when Ferretti glanced towards the door and saw someone he never expected to see again walking through it.

"Well I'll be damned," Ferretti said as the song ended.

"What?" Sam asked. Having her back to the door meant she was unable to see what Ferretti was talking about.

"The team leader from my last mission just walked through the door. The last I heard from him, he was set to retire, and then he shows up here. Do you mind if we go over and say hello?"

"Of course not, I'd love to meet the man," Sam replied offering Ferretti a small smile and accepting his arm.

When Sam turned around and saw the man that Ferretti was talking about, her small smile turned into her 1000 watt grin, "The man is supposed to be in Minnesota, and he ends up in D.C," she thought. Jack O'Neill looked every bit the all-American hero in his dress blues, and even though Sam had no doubt that he was probably uncomfortable in them, she wondered what she would have to do to convince him to wear them on a date.

Jack had entered the room and let his eyes do a quick sweep of its occupants. He soon found General Hammond speaking with another man that he assumed to also be a General, but when his eyes found the dance floor, he quickly noticed a very familiar, tall, leggy blond on the arm of an old friend headed his way. While she was familiar, her style of dress was anything but normal. She was drop dead gorgeous in the ballroom length dress. The light blue color was one that he was sure matched her eyes perfectly, and while the slit in the dress revealed nothing but her long muscular legs, it revealed a lot of leg. If not for his military training, Jack's jaw would have probably been on the floor. Still, he felt like his brain had turned to mush just looking at the beautiful sight before him.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill," Ferretti said as he offered his previous CO a half-hearted salute and got one of the same nature in return.

"Ferretti," Jack said giving the man a quick back-slapping hug, "Good to see you again. Who's the lady friend here?" He asked, hoping that Sam would let him have his fun with the man.

"This is Samantha, though she goes by Sam," Ferretti explained as Jack and Sam shook hands, "Kawalsky is here too, you know."

"He is?" Jack commented, though his eyes remained on Sam's face and took notice of the fact her face had the biggest grin on it he had ever seen. "Where is he?"

"Come on and I'll show you. He'll be surprised to see you; both of us bet that you wouldn't show up knowing how much you hate this kind of stuff," Ferretti claimed as he led them both back to their table.

A repeat of the earlier greeting took place with Kawalsky, and the group quickly returned to their previous topic of discussion as the guys shared old stories until it got to the point where Sam couldn't take it any more.

They had been discussing the advantages and disadvantages of different guns for 20 minutes while Sam had listened silently, pretending that she could care less about the conversation when Jack turned to her and asked, "What about you Sam, do you have any preferences?"

The two majors laughed heartily as Kawalsky declared, "Jack she may be an Air Force brat, but I bet she doesn't know anything about weapons or planes and such, after all she's just a general's daughter."

Jack and Sam traded glances, and they shared a small chuckle before Sam regained her composure and said, "Actually I prefer to use a P-90, it has a lot less recoil and has significantly fewer problems with jamming on reloads. Also, the top reloading of the clips is a lot easier."

Jack took a sip of his drink while Kawalsky and Ferretti looked shocked at her knowledge.

Kawalsky was able to bury his shock and ask, "Anyone can read an article or find something online about that stuff, but what about flying? I bet you've never done any flying in an F-16."

Again, Sam was unfazed and really beginning to enjoy herself. "Only about 100 hours during the Gulf War," she provided, "You don't get to where I am without doing that kind of stuff."

Jack reached over and manually pushed Kawalsky's chin back up so that his mouth was closed, causing Sam to dissolve into giggles.

"Hey, no giggling Major," Jack ordered but kept his voice in a tone so that the table knew it was all in jest. At the mention of her rank, the two other officers' jaws hit the floor again, totally destroying any action that Jack had tried to take.

"Actually sir," Sam began, "I'm afraid I'll be protesting that order and informing you that while you may still hold a higher rank than me, you are no longer my direct superior officer, and even that higher rank thing isn't by much any more. It's Lieutenant Colonel now."

Sam really wished that she had a camera on her, just so that she could fully absorb the shocked expressions coming from all three men. Sam smiled to herself, content with her actions.

"Lieutenant Colonel ma'am?" questioned Kawalsky, who only now was beginning to get worried. After all, he had literally insulted a superior officer.

"Actually, it's Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter, if you want to get it right Kawalsky," Jack reminded him.

"Oh shit," said Ferretti as he realized just how deep of a hole he had dug himself.

Sam threw back her head and laughed so hard that her side hurt. "It's okay you guys," Sam explained when her laughter subsided. "It wasn't like I actually told you who I was, so I really can't blame you, but I do suggest you remember this for future reference," she lightly reprimanded.

"Yes ma'am," they both replied, sitting up a little bit straighter in their chairs.

"Now, what do you say we forget this little incident until I need it for blackmail purposes sometime in the future, and you run along and get me and Jack here something to drink while we," she said, indicating Jack and herself, "dance."

Sam had never seen two men move so fast before, but Jack remained firmly rooted to his chair.

"I don't dance," Jack stubbornly declared.

"Fine," Sam accepted, "Then I guess I'll have to find someone else to dance with me" she said, rising to her feet.

Compared to the speed of Kawalsky and Ferretti's movements, Jack would have won by a mile as he snatched up her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.


	10. Chapter 10

"For a man who doesn't dance," Sam said, "you do pretty well." After the first song ended, Jack attempted to let go and escape, but Sam just placed her hands on his shoulders and refused to let go.

Eventually, Jack gave in and put his hands on her sides, being extremely careful about how high or low he placed them, after all they were in the middle of an Air Force party.

"Just pretty well?" Jack joked.

"I can't go telling you how great a dancer you are. You'll end up with an even bigger ego that what you already have," Sam commented and then ducked her head as realized what she had said.

"So I have a big ego now?"

"Well, you are a flyboy," Sam explained.

"Is being a fly boy a bad thing?"

"Some girls find it to be really appealing while others know that the only reason a guy enlists is to pick up girls," Sam offered.

"And what do you think?" Jack questioned.

"I know guys who are in it for the whole chick magnet thing, but personally," she admitted, looking into Jack's eyes, "I've always liked a man in uniform."

That revelation ended all conversation between them for a while as they just enjoyed the music. When the band took a break, Sam relinquished her hold on Jack and together they went back to their table. Kawalsky and Ferretti were still there, but now one other man had joined them. Sam wanted nothing more than to turn around and flee from the room, but she refused to let her ex-fiancé cause her any more pain, so Sam just grabbed Jack's hand and seated herself between Ferretti and Jack, attempting to ignore Jonas Hanson's presence.

Jack thought it was kind of strange that Sam was ignoring the newcomer because she was always friendly towards new people, even him! He asked the men "So who's your new friend Kawalsky?"

Kawalsky didn't get the chance to speak as the aforementioned major spoke up instead as he extended a hand to Jack, "Name's Major Jonas Hanson, and I know of you though I've never had the honor of actually meeting you, Colonel O'Neill."

Jack stretched out to take the man's hand and attempted to place where he had met the man before but eventually gave up. Jack said, "Nice to meet you, Hanson, but I wouldn't believe everything that you hear about me, it can't all be true."

"Doesn't matter you're still a legend with the people I work with," Hanson complimented.

This is what Jack hated the most: the attention caused by his success even if it was only within the small community of black-ops officers. Wanting to direct the attention away from himself, he turned to Sam and introduced her, "Forgive me my manners, gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter."

"We've met," both Sam and Hanson said at the same time, which caused the other occupants of the table to exchange glances.

"Though you were still a major last time I saw you Samantha," Hanson claimed, dragging out the word Samantha.

"And you were being hauled off of some Lieutenant that you were supposed to teaching hand-to-hand combat skills to. But let's not dwell," she quipped in a sarcastic tone. "I think I need another drink," she proclaimed and stalked from the table to the bar as quickly as she could in high heels.

"What did you do to piss her off like that?" questioned Ferretti, ever the observant man.

Hanson took another swig of his beer before replying, "I was engaged to her."

Suddenly, things clicked into place for Jack; this was her ex-fiancé. The one Sam had broken things off with not long before her transfer to Colorado Springs. Though she had never said it, he firmly believed that there was more to the story than just the ending of an engagement.

"Yes, well, I suggest that by the time we return to this table that you make yourself scarce Hanson," Jack forcefully suggested as he stood and turned to follow Sam.

----

Sam wasn't at the bar, or anywhere else in the room for that matter. He checked the hallway, and even got another woman to check the bathroom, but still he hadn't found Sam. He got to the lobby and noticed that there was a door which led to a balcony. He walked out the door and found Sam sitting there.

"Hey," he said as he took the seat next to her, "Hanson won't be there when we get back."

"Thanks," she said as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

Jack had no idea how long hey sat there like that until he noticed how cold she was getting. "Come on Sam, if you don't want to go back in there, then let me take you back to your hotel. You're freezing."

Sam didn't speak, just nodded her head. So Jack stood up and wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder. Together, the two of them walked back into the hotel and took the elevator down to the main floor.

If either of them had been paying attention, they would have noticed the almost bald General that was following them with a deep seated look of anger on his face.

They took a cab back to the hotel, and being the gentleman that he was, Jack walked Sam to her room. Sam opened the door to her room, and then she turned around. She brushed her lips across Jack's lips and then quickly rushed into the room, shutting the door behind her before Jack had a chance to respond or even deepen the kiss.

Jack stared at the door with a huge grin on his face. He walked to the elevator to go on up to his floor, only to see an Air Force general had already hit the button.

"That your girlfriend?"

Surprised that the higher ranking officer would want to talk about such a thing, Jack still replied, "I'm not sure she would appreciate being called that, but I think that's where things are headed sir."

"She's a beautiful woman son," the man commented.

Jack found the conversation to be going in a very strange direction, but he continued it. "Yes she is, sir. I'm not sure what she sees in me, but as long as she's happy, I won't complain."

The man gave a short laugh, "You know, I said the same thing about my wife."

Just then the elevator appeared, and the man stepped inside, but not before his last parting words of "Make sure that you treat her well son, every woman deserves to have someone who loves them."

Jack never got a chance to respond before the doors to the elevator closed.

----

That night it took Jack a long time to get to sleep because he was thinking about the words of the Air Force general who intercepted him as he was leaving Sam's door.

Jack wasn't sure where this relationship between him and Sam was heading, especially now that she had been promoted. Promotion usually meant reassignment, and the more Jack thought about it, the more he couldn't imagine living anywhere else but in Colorado Springs. The town had become his home. At the same time, Jack had let Sam get closer to him, closer than he had ever let anyone else get.

For cryin' out loud, he had flown to Washington D.C., his least favorite place to be, put on his dress uniform, his least favorite piece of clothing, just to see his new favorite person. She hadn't asked why he was there but had looked pleased to see him. He knew that if Kawalsky and Ferretti had known that he had flown across the country, delaying his trip to Minnesota, just to see the blonde Colonel, he would have been on the receiving end of some serious ribbing.

Eventually, Jack's mind quieted down, and he was able to drift off to sleep.

----

The next morning, Jack wandered down to Sam's room and knocked on the door. When Sam didn't answer after repeated knocks, Jack pulled out his cell phone and hit the number 2 on his speed dial, Sam's cell number.

After two rings, she picked up.

"Carter."

"Hey, I'm standing outside the door to your hotel room, and I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast."

The next thing Jack knew he was talking Kawalsky. "Jack, get your butt down here and convince this lovely blonde to spend another day or so here in D.C. with us."

"Kawalsky, if you can figure out how to convince Sam of anything, please let me know," Jack requested as he entered the elevator and pushed the button for the main lobby.

"Then at least come down and eat with us," Kawalsky pleaded.

"I'm not sure if I have time," Jack explained as he walked into the lobby and headed for the hotel restaurant, "Do you know how long it takes to re-pack your bags?"

"Jack, are you telling us that you're not coming down to spend time with your girlfriend before you leave?" Ferretti called from the background of the phone, but Jack heard him quite clearly.

By the time Ferretti had spoken, Jack was standing directly behind their table, facing their backs, so when he said "She's not my girlfriend," at the same time Sam claimed "He's not my boyfriend," he got to see the reactions of the three individuals.

Kawalsky and Ferretti's heads snapped around and gave him huge, knowing smirks.

Hearing Jack speak and realizing that he was right there, Sam buried her reddening face in her arms as she said in a muffled voice, "I just want to disappear right now."

Jack took an empty seat at their table and said, "Don't let them bother you Sam, they're just jealous that you're smarter, better looking, and hold a higher rank than them."

"Not to mention younger," added Kawalsky.

"Add to that the fact that you get along well with Jack," claimed Ferretti, "and we wonder if there's something wrong with you."

Sam's eyes finally peeked out from her arms and she protested, "There's nothing weird about the fact Jack and I understand each other. You three get along rather well."

"We're guys," said Kawalsky like that explained everything, "We like to fly airplanes, shoot stuff, and blow things up."

"I'm a girl and I like to fly airplanes, fast airplanes, shoot stuff, and occasionally, blow things up," explained Sam, "So am I really that much different than you guys?"

"Nope," accepted Kawalsky.

"No," claimed Ferretti.

"Kinda," finished Jack. Everyone turned to look at him. "You're still a girl, and you're much smarter than us, but other than that, I'm pretty sure that most of the time you are just one of the guys. Except for the times like last night where no one could possibly think that you were anything but a beautiful woman."

Sam blushed at the compliment but other than that didn't acknowledge his words as she said, "So can we agree that for the most part, I'm just like you guys and that Jack and I are not dating?"

Nods of agreement came from Kawalsky and Ferretti before Ferretti asked the question from earlier in the morning, "So, Sam, why don't you stay here for a few more days? You could get a flight home on Christmas Eve just in time to celebrate with your family. I'm sure you wouldn't have any problem getting a few days downtime considering you and Jack are both teaching right now."

"He's right colonels. I know for a fact that you are both on downtime right now even," said a familiar voice from behind them all.

The group turned around, and Jack said, "General Hammond, good to see you again."

At hearing the world "General," Kawalsky and Ferretti made a move to stand while George motioned them back into their chairs, saying "As you were."

"But sir," Sam protested, "I don't have anywhere to stay."

"Sam, if I remember correctly, your father lives in D.C., and I'm sure he'd love to have you stay with him," promised George.

"Of course he would," murmured Sam.

"Doesn't matter Sam, I am on a plane to Minnesota later this afternoon," explained Jack.

"Come on Jack, it may be a long time before you see us again. We ship out to Iraq two days after Christmas. Why don't you go change that flight date until Christmas Eve and spend a couple more days here in D.C. with us," begged Kawalsky.

"No," replied Jack.

Now Ferretti started working Sam over, "Come on Sam, hang around for a couple more days. We can show you the sights of D.C., give you a little bit of blackmail on Jack."

"Nope, I'm getting on a flight back to Colorado Springs this afternoon," explained Sam.

"Actually, you aren't Sam. Colorado got 18 inches of snow dumped on it last night with more on the way. There is no possible way that any planes are making it into Peterson right now," explained George. "The only reason I'm leaving town is because I'm meeting up with my family in Texas. Give your dad one more shot, and if things don't work out, I give you my word that you will be on the first flight back to Colorado Springs on Christmas Eve day."

Realizing she had no other choice, Sam almost accepted and then realized that she could probably get something good out of this and a plan began to form in her mind. "Okay," she said, "on one condition." "You two," she claimed, indicating Kawalsky and Ferretti, "have to promise me some excellent blackmail on Jack here."

They exchanged glances before Kawalsky said, "Done," and they shook on it.

"I'm sitting right here guys!" Jack protested, "And there is no way I am leaving you guys alone with Sam for three days, so I guess I'm staying, too."

Sam had to work to hide her grin because everything had gone according to plan. "Good, I'll give Dad a call and see if he has room for two at his place."

"Not necessary Sam. I'll just request some temporary quarters on base," Jack offered.

"Oh no," insisted Sam, "There is no way I'm spending two nights at my father's place without back-up, and considering you are the only one without quarters already, you just became the prime candidate."

"But," Jack began, only to be cut off by General Hammond.

"Son, if there is one lesson you need to learn about Samantha Carter, it is that when she sets her mind on something, there is nothing you can do to change it. Give in now and you will save yourself a whole bunch of pain and suffering," George explained with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Fine. Call Dad and see if he has room for two," relented Jack. "But make sure that he understands that we are nothing more than friends. The last thing I need is for him to think that we're dating or something," Jack insisted.

Sam gave Jack one of her trademark smiles as she pulled out her cell phone and left the table to make a call to her father.

Jack took the chance her absence offered to turn to George and ask, "Colorado really didn't get any snow last night, did it?"

"I may have exaggerated things slightly," George admitted, "But I had words with Jacob last night and I pretty much told him that this is his last chance. If he screws this up, there is no way in hell that she will ever speak to him again and I won't even try to interfere."

"Uh-huh," Jack accepted like that explained everything, "and somehow I just played right into her hands and got dragged into the middle of an ongoing family feud."

"Probably, but I figure I can count on you to try and keep the peace, Jack. The same goes for you two. Not a word to Sam, or you will find yourself scrubbing toilets in Diego Garcia for the rest of your military careers," George threatened.

"Not a peep sir," Kawalsky reassured the General.

That conversation quickly ended when Sam returned to the table. "Dad said he had plenty of room for the two of us at his house, and he informed me that I was to invite all my friends to supper tonight at his house. He said he had to go out, but he told me where he hid the spare key. So how about Jack and I go check out, take our stuff over to his house, and then go explore D.C.?" Sam suggested.

An hour later, and everyone, minus General Hammond who had bid the group good-bye and made his way to the airport, was standing outside of Jacob Carter's house as Sam and Jack entered and put their bags in the living room. Locking the house up again, Jack and Sam went back out to the jeep they had borrowed from the motor pool and joined their friends for a day in D.C.

They spent the day touring the nation's capital, and as promised, Kawalsky and Ferretti made excellent tour guides at the various monuments around the city while Sam avoided traffic by making use of her knowledge of the city from when she was stationed at the Pentagon. They joked and laughed, shared stories, and quickly discovered just how much the four of them really did have in common despite their obvious age difference.

At exactly 1800 hours, the friends returned to the Carter house for dinner, an event that Sam was dreading with every fiber of her being.


	11. Chapter 11

Rather than use the spare key, Sam rang the doorbell to her father's house and waited for him to answer the door.

When he opened the door in a pair of jeans and an Air Force t-shirt, Sam noticed just how old he was starting to look.

"Sam," he greeted his daughter with a kiss to her cheek as he glanced at the other members of the group while holding the door open so the rest of them could enter.

"General," nodded Kawalsky as he entered.

"Sir," offered Ferretti.

"Dad," greeted Jack, "thank you for having us this evening and for putting me and Sam up the next couple of nights," as he did a double take upon getting his first real look at the man who was Sam's dad. "Oh no," he thought, "I am totally screwed now," as he recognized the man as the one he had spoken to last night right after walking Sam to her hotel room. Already, he was plotting his escape from the house.

"Not a problem _son_," replied the elder Carter, "Sammie and her friends are always welcome here."

"Sammie?" snickered the three men, already thinking of possible ways to torment Sam.

"Don't even think about it," Sam called as she entered the room, "The last guy that did didn't know what hit him."

"Sure Sam, whatever you say," Kawalsky said, brushing off her words as a joke.

Sam stalked from the room, offended that Kawalsky could think so little of her.

"Now you've done it," complained Jacob, "She'll spend the rest of the evening annoyed, and that is not something you want to experience."

"Sorry sir," said Kawalsky, not sounding the least bit sorry, "But she's a girl, it's not like she would actually beat a guy up."

"Kawalsky," Jack said, "You are either an idiot or have a really bad memory. Do you remember the conversation we had at breakfast this morning? That girl is more than capable of wiping the floor with you."

"Son," Jacob broke in, "If you know what's good for you, you would go in there and apologize to her right now."

Seeing the serious expressions on both Jacob and Jack's faces, Kawalsky beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen, hoping to apologize.

Ferretti took a quick glance at the two men in front of him that were eyeing each other and began backing out of the hallway, "I think I'll go make sure that he doesn't screw up that apology."

Now Jack was alone with Sam's dad, Major General Jacob Carter. Before Jacob could begin his interrogation, Jack said, "I think I'll join them too. I wouldn't want Sam to take a swing at either of them or something."

"You can't run forever," Jacob said to Jack's retreating back.

----

The scene that Jack could hear coming from the kitchen was obviously an unpleasant one so he chose to stay hidden and just listen.

"I've already said I'm sorry Sam, what else do you want me to do?" questioned an obviously frustrated Kawalsky.

Sam remained silent and kept her military façade in place.

"I have no doubt that you are an excellent Air Force officer. You've impressed Jack, which is one of the hardest things to do, so there must be something special about you," Kawalsky continued. "I promise that I will never underestimate your abilities again."

Kawalsky, standing toe-to-toe with Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, found himself sitting on the floor with no recollection of how he had gotten there, other than the fact that his knee really hurt.

Sam allowed her face to show anger and growled, "I may not be a guy, but never doubt that I can hit like one," she claimed as she turned and stalked away towards the door where Jack was lurking.

Only after getting out of Kawalsky's line of sight did she let her face break into a huge grin as her hands went up to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter. Jack pulled her to him in a tight hug as she used his shirt to muffle her laughter, which grew past hiding when Kawalsky practically yelled, "I won't forget Colonel Carter, trust me."

Jack's laughter was what directed Kawalsky and Ferretti to where Sam and Jack were attempting to hide.

Kawalsky broke their laughter by meekly asking, "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Sam contained her subsiding giggles and pulled away from Jack. She walked towards Kawalsky, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, "You're forgiven. Just remember that it won't be that easy for you to get away with it next time."

"I wouldn't dream of it," claimed Kawalsky. "So that's it, you'll never bring it up again?" Kawalsky questioned, wary of how easy it had been for the woman to forgive him.

"Not until I need something," confirmed Sam as she moved out of the hallway and back into the kitchen.

"You didn't think she would let you off that easy did you Kawalsky?" Jack said as he clapped the man on the shoulder and followed Sam into the kitchen.

----

Compared to dinner with the Hammonds, the meal at Jacob Carter's house was tense to say the least. It took all of Jack's will power to not find an excuse to leave the table. "Even my first meal with Sara's parents wasn't this stressful," Jack thought, "and at that point, we'd just told her parents we were engaged."

The meal started off in silence until Jacob asked how everyone knew each other. Kawalsky and Ferretti had explained they knew Jack from a previous mission, which was classified, something which Jacob did not pursue.

Then Jacob turned all of his formidable attention to Jack.

"So, how did you meet my daughter?"

Thoughts about their real meeting flooded through Jack's head, and Jack made the decision to avoid that particular story. "I'm currently overseeing the ROTC program at the University of Colorado, and Sam was loaned out to teach a class there by General Kerrigan. Despite an initial misunderstanding, we hit it off."

"So you dated my daughter while she was under your command," accused Jacob.

"Never," insisted Jack, anger boiling under the surface.

"Oh, and I'm sure that your word will be good enough to convince anyone who asks. The fact you couldn't keep your hands to yourself is endangering my daughter's career," claimed Jacob.

Any possibility of a peaceful dinner went out the window with that comment.

"I'm sorry if I've disappointed you _Dad, _but it is my career, and I'm not the one whose father is keeping her from being deployed to Iraq," Sam stated in a carefully controlled voice as she stood and glared at her father.

"I'm sorry that I want you to live long enough to get into NASA," Jacob replied.

"You're not the one who has put up with all the rumors for years about how you've gotten to where you are because your father's a General. There is always a shadow on my accomplishments because I'm a woman or because of who my father is, despite the fact I've done everything short of changing my name so that people wouldn't know I'm related to you!" exclaimed Sam, "God! I understand why Mark left after Mom died."

"Don't bring your brother into this," demanded Jacob.

"Try and stop me," spat Sam, and she abruptly left the room. Jack soon heard the front door slam behind her.

Kawalsky and Ferretti quickly stood up and carried their plates to the sink.

"General, I think we're going to head back to base," explained Ferretti.

"Thank you for dinner sir," offered Kawalsky, and then they were gone.

Silently Jack removed the remainder of the dishes from the table and loaded them into the dishwasher. Jacob sat at the table and watched Jack's every move.

Jack poured two mugs of coffee and returned to his seat at the table, handing Jacob one of the mugs and keeping the other for himself.

"This is how this is going to work," Jack began.

Jacob's eyes filled with anger, "This is between me and my daughter. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong Colonel."

Jack projected an air of calm and command as he set his mug on the table and ignored Jacob's words. "I am going to go find Sam and drag her back here. You are going to apologize her, and then we are all going to go to bed. When we get up tomorrow, you are going to act like this never occurred."

"What if I don't want to?" questioned Jacob.

"Then I can guarantee that Sam will never speak to you again. If you can live with that, then do whatever you want," Jack said as he got up from the table and left the room.

On his way out the door, Jack grabbed his jacket and Sam's coat knowing that once the initial anger burned off, she'd be freezing.

Jack really had no clue where Sam might be. She didn't know the area as far as he knew, but the park across the street was the most promising spot. There, on the first bench he saw, was Sam. She was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, trying to keep herself warm. Jack made plenty of noise as he approached and dropped her jacket around her shoulders. Instantly, her arms found their way into their sleeves. When Jack sat down, Sam instinctively moved closer to him, and his arm shot out to pull her closer to him. Jack tried to convince himself that it was just because she was cold and upset, not because they were almost dating.

"Obviously you're upset," stated Jack.

"Really," questioned Sam sarcastically, "What makes you think that?"

Jack ignored Sam's words and instead focused on calming her down. "But I really think that you should give your dad one more chance. Go back into the house and give him the chance to apologize."

"Why would he," Sam said, "He's never apologized to me before."

"Because he's your father Sam," said Jack, "and because I told him that you probably wouldn't speak to him again if he didn't make an effort."

"Got that one right," claimed Sam. "And why should I give him that chance? He'll apologize this time and then do the same thing again the next time this topic crops up."

Jack was silent for a long time. "Because I'm asking you to do this for me. Because I don't want you to regret not making the effort the same way I regret with Charlie."

Sam knew just how hard it was for Jack to say that, to admit that Charlie had died without him getting to say something, even if she didn't know what that something was. Sam closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she knew what she was going to have to do. "On one condition."

"What?"

"If he doesn't apologize, you never mention it again, and we go stay on base or somewhere else tonight," conditioned Sam.

"Okay," relented Jack. "But can we please do this before either of us freezes to death," he pleaded.

"Is wittle Jackie getting cold?" Sam questioned in a joking voice.

"No but little Sammie is," Jack retorted. "Come on Sam. The sooner you go in there and let him apologize, the sooner we're warm again."

"And if he doesn't," she said standing up, "We can still go get warm in a hotel room or on base."

"Agreed. Now can we please go," begged Jack.

Hand in hand they walked across the street and back into the house. Jack let Sam pull him through the door. She was holding his hand for dear life, and she obviously had no reservations about her dad seeing the two of them holding hands.

Jacob was still sitting at the kitchen table staring into his mug of coffee. When Sam and Jack walked in, he looked up to see his daughter in the doorway. Sam stood there, holding Jack's hand, and waited for her dad to make the first move.

"I love you Sam. I've always been proud of the fact that you chose to follow in my footsteps by joining the Air Force. While I may not understand your choices in your personal life, I've always hoped that you would achieve the dreams that you had when you were a little girl," Jacob claimed. "That's all every father ever wants for his little girl."

"But I'm not a little girl anymore," Sam reminded him.

Jack took the opportunity to remind Sam that her dad was trying to make amends here. "You'll always be his little girl though Sam, no matter how old you get," Jack softly whispered.

While Jacob was surprised that Jack understood a parent's point of view so well, he let it go for now, knowing that he better quit while he was ahead. "So if you guys are still staying here tonight, let me show you where things are, and then I'm going to bed. Maybe we can talk more in the morning," Jacob hinted.

"Okay," Sam said as she pulled Jack after Jacob out of the room. A quick tour of the house showed them the two spare rooms and guest bathroom, including where to find bedding and extra towels.

Jacob leaned in and gave Sam a peck on the cheek before saying "Good night Sam, Jack."

Jacob went into the master bedroom and shut the door. He changed into his pajamas and crawled into his bed. He pulled the covers up and listened to the silence of the house. Despite the fact there were two more people somewhere, Jacob couldn't hear the difference. He wondered about the relationship between Sam and Colonel Jack O'Neill. Sam's choice of boyfriends had never been great.

"Put her in a room of guys that are all wrong for her, and she'll find the one who is most wrong and convince herself that he's 'the one'," thought Jacob, "and somehow each time I've met a guy, he's been successively worse than the previous." His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was, "So I guess the only way for her to go is up."

----

While Jacob was already sleeping, Sam and Jack were in Sam's room. Sam, still recovering from her brief time outside, was snuggled under the covers while Jack had sprawled on the bed on top of the covers.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sam asked timidly.

"Sure," Jack replied as he propped himself up on one elbow and grabbed a pillow to hug with the other arm, "Doesn't mean I'll answer though."

Despite being under the covers, Sam still reached out and tried to swat him through the many layers on her bed, only to find out that she didn't pack much of a punch. "What did you mean when you said you regretted not making an effort with Charlie?"

Jack was silent for a long time; to the point that Sam would have been convinced he had fallen asleep if she couldn't see that his brown eyes had taken on a look of reflection, as though he was recalling a painful memory. "About two weeks before Charlie died, I found him playing with a toy gun, one that couldn't harm anyone. I yelled at him for it. I told him that guns weren't toys. He got mad at me and stormed off. If I had just taken the time to explain to him the difference between his toy gun and my real gun, he would still be alive today." If it was possible, Jack hugged the pillow he was holding even harder, and closed his eyes letting the grief and despair wash over him.

Sam pushed the covers back and scooted over to Jack so that she could lay a hand on his shoulder. "There's something that your relationship with Charlie and my relationship with my dad have in common."

"What?" Jack asked looking up at her with eyes that showed all the emotion that the rest of him didn't.

Sam took a deep breath and let it out. "I have no doubt that Charlie loved you and that you loved him back. Even if he was mad at you, he had to know that you loved him because no matter how hard I try, I can't stop loving my dad."

For the first time since Charlie's death, Jack O'Neill began to forgive himself for leaving his gun where Charlie could get to it. The pain lessened just a little bit as he squeezed Sam's hand. They sat like that for quite a while. Eventually Sam let out a large yawn.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, I'm sorry. You're still catching up on sleep from your workathon last week and it wasn't exactly an early night last night," Jack said as he smiled at the memory of how that night had ended. "Come on, I'll even tuck you in," Jack offered as he pulled himself off the bed and let Sam get under the covers again.

Jack leaned down and pulled the covers up until the rested under Sam's chin. "Good night," he whispered and then leaned forward to lightly brush her lips in the same way as she had last night.

But Sam had other ideas as her arms snuck out from under the covers and wrapped around Jack's neck, deepening the kiss.

When Jack finally pulled back, he found himself looking right into Sam's eyes. What he saw there comforted him. There was no sign of regret in eyes, just some unnamed emotion that was all in all a good one.

"You know," he joked, "If we keep doing this, we are going to have to quit telling people that we're 'just friends', because I don't think they're going to believe us."

Her eyes twinkled in response to that statement, "We'll figure it out later," she whispered as she once again claimed his lips with hers.

This time when they parted, Jack pulled out of Sam's arms. He said, "Tomorrow before this goes any farther, we need to talk." Jack walked to the door and right before he shut it, he sent a huge smile Sam's way and whispered "Good night Sam."

"Good night Jack," Sam whispered back and her head fell back onto her pillows with a contented sigh.


	12. Chapter 12

Jack's military training woke him the next morning the instant he heard someone moving downstairs. After a few tense seconds, he remembered where he was and relaxed. Pulling on a pair of sweats and an old Air Force t-shirt, he went downstairs. He found Jacob in the kitchen with the newspaper laid out on the table. Jack poured himself a cup of coffee and picked up the sports section of the newspaper.

Jack had just found the hockey scores when Jacob set his newspaper down and looked at Jack. "So… are you going to tell me the truth about what's going on between you and my daughter?"

"If I told you I had no clue what you were talking about, would that be enough?" asked Jack.

Jacob gave him a steely glare.

"Didn't think so." Jack took a deep breath. "I'm not really sure where this 'thing' is going, I don't think either of us really knows. But I can tell you that I really like your daughter. I've only known her for a short time, but she understands me better than anyone I've ever known. Like I told you the other night, my goal in life is to make her happy. After what I've done, I don't deserve to have someone like her in my life," Jack finished and waited for Jacob's reaction.

"She'll never leave the Air Force for you; her career is the most important thing to her," stated Jacob.

"I would never ask her to give up her career, it's too much a part of who she is," Jack reminded Jacob.

"Sam's dated quite a bit, even been engaged once, but every time things don't work out," Jacob declared. "The last time she brought home a decent guy that I actually liked, he was her wingman back in flight school, and the two of them were never more than friends. She's so strong and independent that she scares most men away so that the only guys left are the ones with a dark side to them."

Jacob's last statement caused Jack to squirm. He wondered what Jacob would think if he knew the truth about Jack's past. "Most of what I've done is classified, black-ops," Jack admitted as Jacob's eyebrows shot up, "But I've told Sam stuff that I've never shared with anyone else," Jack reassured.

"No relationship can be built on secrets," Jacob claimed, refusing to let Jack off easy.

"But there are some things I can never share with her, and I hope that she can understand that," Jack explained.

"You aren't the only one with secrets, you know. Sam's done her share of classified work," Jacob admitted with a smirk of satisfaction at Jack's shock, "and I'm guessing she never told you about that."

"No, she hasn't mentioned that, but she doesn't know that much about what I used to do either because it is classified Top Secret, Level 4," Jack replied.

"What are you going to do when one of you gets deployed to a war zone?" questioned Jacob.

"We'll follow orders. I don't know about Sam, but I fully expect my next set of orders to have me on the next plane to Iraq. My last set of orders detailed the actions I need to take in the next few months to get recertified for field work. Once the school year is over, I expect to be deployed," Jack declared. "Are you the one that's keeping her out of the field? It sounded to me yesterday like she was really missing it."

It was Jacob's turn to look a little uncomfortable. "I may have asked around to find out if she was on the list for deployment, but several people told me that the project she is currently working on is what is keeping her from the field along with other things," Jacob admitted. "I can't say anymore than that, for the rest of the story you'll have to ask Sam."

"Ask Sam what?" a voice came from the hallway as Sam walked into the kitchen.

Jack recovered first, "Dad said to ask Sam what she wants for breakfast. So what do you want?"

"Pancakes," requested Sam.

"I can do pancakes," Jack said and stood up. He felt like he had made great strides in convincing Jacob that he was good enough for his little girl, although Jacob's last comment has piqued Jack's curiosity.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, though Jack considered that to be an improvement over the previous day's dinner which had ended up in screaming match.

"So what are you two planning to do today?" Jacob asked.

Jack and Sam exchanged glances.

Sam said, "I was thinking Jack could spend time with Kawalsky and Ferretti after he drops me off at the Pentagon to see the guys who are working on my project."

"No way," Jack said, "last time I checked you were on leave, which means you don't go anywhere near your lab or do anything that resembles work. Instead, you are supposed to have fun, and most importantly, relax."

Jacob had to hide a smirk. "Let's see how he does with this one," he thought.

"Actually, this 'work' is fun for me and relaxing," claimed Sam, refusing to budge.

"There's no way I'm letting you spend an entire day cooped up in the Pentagon with a bunch of eggheads debating about whatever it is that astrophysicists debate about," Jack said to her.

"I wasn't planning on spending the whole day there, just eight hours," Sam explained.

"You finish up by lunch time and come eat with us on base," Jack offered.

"Late lunch at 1300 hours," Sam compromised.

"Deal," Jack said.

Jacob watched the back and forth – the give and take that went on between the two. Sam's lab time had always been her constant; no one had ever been able to drag her out of her lab before. Even Jonas had failed in his attempts! The fact that this man was setting limits, and Sam was willing to accommodate those limits, meant that she either really, really liked him or he scared her so much that she was scared to disobey him. So far, Jack hadn't shown anything but a nice tender side towards Sam, but with experience in black-ops, Jacob had to wonder if Jack was just putting up a front.

Sam quickly got up from the table and tossed the words, "I'll be ready in 15," over her shoulder as she hurried off to get changed. She wasn't going to waste any of her precious lab time.

"I'll clean up," Jacob said, "You better hurry or she'll be ready before you."

Jack quickly followed Sam upstairs.

True to her word, 15 minutes later Sam was putting her coat on as Jacob approached her.

"Is there any chance we can have a father/daughter conversation before you leave?" he asked as Jack came down the stairs.

Sam looked up from tying her shoes and said, "How about tonight before we go out with some of Kawalsky and Ferretti's friends to a bar?"

"Say around 1700 hours," Jacob suggested.

"She'll be here," Jack stated sending a glance at Sam that said he wouldn't be budging on this topic.

----

Sam was dreading this conversation with her father as the cab dropped her off in front of his house. This time she didn't knock; instead she just walked in the front door. She hung her coat on the coat rack and then curled up on one end of her couch and faced her dad who was sitting in the recliner.

"I've never been a great dad, Sam. I always known how to be a military officer, and I've always thought that fact was why you chose to follow in my footsteps because I taught you how to succeed as a military officer, not as a woman. There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish that your mom was here to see the fine young woman that you've grown to be," Jacob said. "The number of times we've disagreed and argued, Sam, I can't even begin to count. I always hoped that you knew that I loved you."

"I did, Dad," Sam whispered softly. "Once I quit blaming you for Mom's death, I wanted to reach out to you so much, but it seemed like every time I tried, we just ended up arguing." Her voice grew louder as she continued, "Then when I got transferred to D.C. after the incident in the field and I brought Jonas home, for the millionth time it seemed like you took an instant dislike to my boyfriend."

"I was just trying to protect you Samantha, that's all I ever tried to do."

"I know that now, Dad. I just wish that I had realized that sooner rather than later and listened to you about Jonas," Sam offered.

"Yeah, but if you hadn't dated Jonas, would you have ever found your way to Jack?" Jacob wondered out loud.

"Probably not," Sam admitted with a slight blush to her cheeks as she thought of the conversation that she and Jack had that morning on the way to the Pentagon.

//Flashback//

Sam was driving when Jack said, "About that talk we need to have, is now good?"

"Nope. I'm talking, you're listening," Sam stated. "I want to date you. I want us to be more than 'just friends.' You need to know that I'm going to cancel dates because something comes up in the lab. When we're on duty, I'll give you the respect you deserve and follow your orders, but off duty we're equals, and anything else isn't acceptable."

"Okay," Jack began, "I want to take you out on dates and be able to shoot guys death glares because you're my girlfriend. But I'm older than you. You're way smarter than me. I have so many skeletons in my closet. I can get a phone call and literally have to be on a plane in an hour, and I won't be able to tell you where I'm going or when I'll be back, but I can tell you that whatever I'd be doing is dangerous - there's always a chance that I wouldn't be coming back. Also, I don't do casual relationships, Sam. I only date women that I can see myself marrying someday, so if that isn't in your plans, now would be the time to tell me," Jack offered giving her a way out.

Sam was glad that she had parked the jeep, because when Jack mentioned the 'm' word, her brain went into overdrive and she realized that this man must have at least some of the feelings for her that she had for him.

Sam reached over and squeezed Jack's hand. "I think we understand each other," she said before she kissed him.

//End Flashback//

"Speaking of Jack," Jacob said, "Where's that going?"

Sam's blush increased, "We're going to give being more than 'just friends' a try and see what happens. So what do you think of him?"

"Oh, I don't know. He's different from any of your other boyfriends, I'll give him that," Jacob said.

"Dad, just tell me what you think. I know you were interrogating him before I came downstairs this morning," Sam explained.

"What makes you think that," Jacob asked innocently.

"The fact that you did the same thing with Jonas," Sam stated.

"Oh."

"So?"

"I'm reserving judgment until I complete the interrogation," Jacob offered.

Sam had to work hard to hide her smile. "So you haven't found anything to object to," Sam claimed.

"Yet," Jacob countered as someone knocked on the door.

Sam broke out in a full grin and glanced at her watch. "That will be the guys. Would you let them in while I go change?" she requested.

Sam had made it to the stairs before she turned around and went back to her father giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Dad."

"Me too, Sam," Jacob said as he wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"Why don't you stay for Christmas?" Jacob blurted out before he could think about what he was saying.

"I'd like that," she replied, smiling at her dad as someone knocked on the door again. "You'd better get that before one of them decides to break the door down," Sam claimed as she pulled out of her dad's arms and rushed up the stairs, already contemplating just what she was going to wear.

Jacob opened the door to find Jack, Ferretti, and Kawalsky standing on the front porch.

"Sam ready to go?" Jack asked.

"No, come on in," Jacob offered opening the door a little bit farther so that the men could walk past him into the house.

The three men sat in an uncomfortable silence in the living room. Every so often, they would hear sounds from upstairs of Sam getting ready, but other than that, all three of the men were trying to avoid looking at Jacob.

"I owe all of you an apology for the argument that Sam and I had during dinner last night. I shouldn't have embarrassed Sam like that," Jacob apologized.

"Already forgotten sir," Ferretti said as Jack and Kawalsky nodded their heads in agreement.

Sam came down the stairs wearing a pair of jeans and a green sweater. It wasn't anything really dressy, but it did make her look like the beautiful woman she was.

"You guys ready to go?" Sam asked.

"Just waiting on you," Jack said, looking with an approving eye at his maybe-girlfriend.

"Where are you going tonight?" Jacob asked, suddenly reverting to his 'parent of a teenager' persona.

"Freddy's" said Kawalsky.

Jacob nodded, recognizing the name of a bar that was close to the base and was a well-known hangout for military personnel.

Sam opened the door to find a taxi just pulling up. They had decided that taking a cab was a better idea than driving since they probably wouldn't be driving home.

"Be home by midnight," Jacob called after his daughter who turned around to grin at him.

"You wish," she said as she slid into the front seat of the waiting cab.

The silence in the cab lasted only as far as the first traffic light.

"Did you get things all patched up with Dad?" Jack asked.

"Things still aren't great," Sam admitted, "but they're on the mend."

"Good," Jack said.

"What was it like growing up with a general for a dad?" Kawalsky asked.

Sam shifted in her seat so that she could look at Kawalsky. "He wasn't a general until I was halfway through my second year of high school," she explained. "He was only a captain when I was born and a colonel when my mom died. He was gone most of the time before he made brigadier general, and we moved around a lot. It wasn't until he made General that I didn't go to at least one different school every couple of years. Once he got promoted, I got to spend my last three years of high school in the same place."

"Did you join the Air Force because of your dad?" Ferretti questioned.

"No. I always dreamed of being an astronaut, and the Air Force was my ticket to doing that," Sam explained.

"How come you're not there now?" Jack asked.

"I lost my field status after an accident, and they sent me to the labs. I haven't really been back in the field since then," Sam clarified in a tone that said that she wouldn't be telling them any more.

Luckily, they had arrived at Freddy's at this point so no one had to endure uncomfortable silence for too long.

The group stepped through the door to hear someone yell out "Ferretti! Over here!"

As they approached the corner of the room, Ferretti and Kawalsky broke into wide grins. There were several tables that had been pushed together, and there were more chairs around the table than what there really should have been. They pulled another table and four more chairs over.

Jack was sitting in his chair when one of the men on the other end of the table turned so that Jack could see him for the first time. "Hank Landry," Jack called, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Jack, I could say the same for you," the man called as he got up and moved his chair around to the other end of the table to sit between Kawalsky and Jack. "More importantly, what are you doing hanging out with two boneheads like Kawalsky and Ferretti in the company of a beautiful blonde like this lady? Why don't you leave him and let me take you home, sweetie?"

Jack had to work really hard to hide his smirk. Oh, if the man only knew what he was getting himself into. He sat back to watch the action.

By now the whole table was paying attention to Hank and Jack's conversation and had noticed the gorgeous blonde who had come in with them.

"Why would I want to leave with someone who is also hanging out with Charlie and Lou?" Sam questioned innocently.

Hank puffed out his chest, if that was possible, and said, "Well, I'm their CO, that means commanding officer, so I'm obliged to look after them since they can't take care of themselves, though I may have to re-evaluate my opinion of them if they are friends with you and Jack," as he smiled in the most charming way possible.

"The man is playing right into her hands," Jack thought, barely capable of containing his laughter as he kept his stern military façade firmly in place.

"Because you're their CO," Sam asked, intentionally pausing over the supposedly unfamiliar word, "Does that mean you can tell them what to do?" Sam didn't look at anyone but Hank, knowing that if she did, she wouldn't be able to keep her laughter under wraps.

"Why yes, it does. All of these men are under my command. They're just lowly majors, captains, and lieutenants, and I am a Colonel," the man said proudly.

"Recently promoted Colonel," clarified Kawalsky.

Sam got an evil glint in her eye, something that only a person who knew her really well would be able to spot, but for Jack it was a telltale sign that whatever to come was going to be fun to watch, so he just sat back and let Sam lead Hank on, figuring that Hank deserved it.

"What makes a Colonel better than the rest, Hank?" Sam asked sweetly, keeping the wide-eyed expression of innocence on her face.

Jack answered this one. "Oh, he gets to do paperwork and occasionally order people around if he's lucky, but for the most part, it just means he gets more paperwork and responsibility than someone who's a major."

"Pretty much," Hank nodded, confirming Jack's words and looking slightly upset that Jack didn't make it sound more glorious. "What does an attractive woman like you do, honey?" Hank asked.

Sam had been thinking about how she would reveal her status in the Air Force, and she realized that Hank had just handed her the perfect opportunity on a silver platter. "Right now I'm teaching and doing some work in the labs. I like to fly and travel when work permits," Sam admitted.

"Oh," Hank nodded as if he understood and was in agreement. "Then you probably have a degree or something, right ma'am? I'm sorry, but I never caught your name."

"You know these guys better than I do, but even I know that flyboys constantly forget their manners. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter," Sam spoke, breaking into a huge smile.

"Oh shit," said Hank, "I have just made the biggest fool out of myself, haven't I?"

Jack slapped the man on his back, "Yeah, well at least you didn't insult her, and the fact that she chose not to go ahead and kick your butt where you sat means that you'll probably be okay."

"If he ever lives the embarrassment down," Kawalsky said with a huge smirk on his face.

"You're not one to talk, Kawalsky, or should I tell everyone how we met?" Sam asked with a glint in her eye.

Thankfully, Ferretti was quick on his feet and claimed, "I don't think that will be necessary, Sam. You wouldn't want to use up your blackmail before you needed it, would you?"

The whole table looked at Sam expectantly, hoping that she would decide to share this story. "You're right, Ferretti, I'll just hold onto that story until I really need it," Sam said with an evil smile.

----

Sam and Jack had more fun that night than ever before. Landry's men quickly came to respect the two additions to the group when they found out they were both Air Force officers. The group bonded over shared stories that night, and when the bartender announced last call, Sam was a bit sad to have the evening end.

Sam and Jack had both consumed a few beers, more than what either of them felt comfortable with when driving, but they hadn't had so much that they weren't thinking clearly when Jack suggested they take a walk in the park across from the Jacob Carter's house. Hand in hand, they set out down the snow covered path.


	13. Chapter 13

"So tomorrow's Christmas Eve," Jack said as they walked hand in hand down the snow covered path in the park.

"Actually today is Christmas Eve, Jack," Sam reminding him of the late hour.

"That it is," he admitted, "and I was wondering what your plans are for Christmas Day."

"Dad invited me to spend a couple more days with him," Sam explained.

"Oh, then never mind," Jack claimed as his plans for a Christmas with Sam in Minnesota suddenly ground to a halt and his mood became visibly darker.

Sam stopped and forced Jack to face her, "No, Jack, tell me what you were going to say."

"It doesn't matter, Sam," Jack said refusing to admit that he wasn't looking forward to spending Christmas alone.

"Jack," Sam joked, "You can't keep behaving like a little boy and expect Santa to come with everything on your wish list."

"Santa doesn't visit my cabin in Minnesota, Carter," Jack abruptly told her.

"Oh," Sam said quietly. She had forgotten that he was supposed to be in Minnesota at his cabin instead of in D.C. with her. "I forgot you were leaving" she said.

"You won't even notice I'm gone," Jack joked, but the smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes as he grabbed Sam's hand. They continued their stroll through the park, but the mood wasn't as light hearted as before. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Yes, I will," Sam said, breaking the silence.

Jack looked at her with confusion evident on his face.

"Notice you're gone," she clarified. "I forgot you were leaving so when I pictured Christmas morning with my dad, I just assumed that you were with me," Sam admitted as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment at the fact she had presumed he would want to spend Christmas with her.

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed, his eyes widening with the realization that she wanted to spend time with him. "You know, I'm sure that I could be convinced to change my plans if I had a better offer," he hinted.

"I'm not sure spending Christmas with me and Dad is a better offer, but consider yourself officially invited to Christmas at the Carter household," Sam replied.

"Time with my girlfriend is the best offer I've had in a long time," Jack stated as he leaned down to plant a kiss on Sam's lips.

"You won't be saying that when you have to tell my father that we're dating," Sam said as they parted.

Jack groaned. "Why do I have to tell him?" he whined.

"Because you're the one that needs to win him over. He already loves me," Sam declared as she and Jack turned around so they were heading back towards the house.

"Is it too late to reconsider because I don't know if I can face another interrogation," Jack complained.

"What has he asked so far?"

"He's asked what I think of your career and about my career," Jack explained.

"And he hasn't raised any objections yet," Sam asked amazed.

"Nothing that I couldn't put up a good argument about," Jack claimed.

"Then you're almost done," Sam said as she snuggled into Jack's side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Thank goodness," Jack exclaimed, "I don't think I could take much more."

"You've got one more big question to go," Sam promised, "And then you'll have his permission to date me."

"All of this just to date you," Jack pouted. "Did Dad make Jonas face a firing squad before he agreed to let him marry you?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Umm, Dad didn't give Jonas permission to marry me. He actually told Jonas at one point that he should disappear through a black hole and never come back," Sam said.

"Your dad said that?" Jack asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Pretty much."

"And how far did Jonas's interrogation go," Jack asked as he compared himself to the ex-fiancé.

Sam forced them to stop walking. "You are not Jonas, Jack. You are a much better man then he ever was. Jonas was my past, you are my future," she reassured him.

"So he didn't make it very far," repeated Jack.

"Not even past the question about my career," Sam admitted. "Jonas insisted that I was going to have to leave the military when I had his kids."

"His kids?" Jack asked as his eyebrow lifted up in amazement.

"Uh-huh."

"So is winning Dad over something that I should do?" Jack asked.

"You'd be the first boyfriend I've had that achieved that lofty goal," Sam said.

Jack, always ready to get to the bottom line, asked "So all I have to do to impress my girlfriend is get her father to like me?"

"You don't have to do anything to impress me, Jack, because this girlfriend is already impressed with you," Sam claimed. She kissed him one more time before they went inside the house.

----

Jack's military training failed him the next morning when he woke up to see that the clock read 1000 hours. "I guess that's not a surprise when you stay out with your girlfriend until 4 in the morning," Jack thought to himself.

Jack drug his body downstairs to find Jacob sitting at the kitchen table in the exact same way as the previous morning.

"Pour yourself a cup of coffee and pull up a chair," Jacob directed.

Jack did as he was told and waited.

"What are your intentions towards my daughter," Jacob asked.

"I'm serious about dating Sam. Like I told you yesterday, I don't know where this is going, but I promise you that this relationship isn't just some fling for me. I only date a woman that I can see myself marrying," Jack promised, "and I can tell you that if we get to that point, I'll be asking you for permission to marry Sam before I ask her."

Jacob was in disbelief. Never before had one of Sam's boyfriends been so honest with him. Most of them had tried some sort of BS on him, but Jack hadn't tried any such thing. He had been honest about everything, to the point that he admitted when he couldn't or wouldn't talk about something. Jacob stuck out his hand. "You have my permission to date my daughter. Just remember," Jacob began.

"If I hurt her," interrupted Jack as he shook Jacob's hand, "You'll have to wait until General Hammond and several of Sam's friends are done with me. And I think they'll be lucky to get pieces of me after Sam finishes with me."

Jacob smiled. Jack was turning out to be everything that he could hope for in a potential husband for Sam. The problem was that no one was that perfect, so Jacob was on the lookout for the flaws that Jack had to have-especially those that would hurt his little girl.

Sam entered the kitchen just in time to hear Jack's comment. "Glad to know that you're smart enough to have that one figured out," she said as she kissed her father on the cheek.

Jack immediately went into an exaggerated pout mode with the goal of getting a good morning kiss from his girl. Sam was only too happy to oblige.

Sam stole a quick glance at her father as she went to pour herself a cup of coffee. Jacob's usual glares towards his daughter's boyfriends were noticeably absent. "Hmm," Sam thought.

"Does Jack pass the test?" Sam asked as she sat down next to Jack at the table.

"For now," Jacob admitted.

"Then you won't mind that he's staying for Christmas," Sam requested, looking at her dad with the puppy dog eyes that no parent can resist.

"If he must," Jacob said, exaggerating the effort it took for him to allow Jack to stay.

Sam and Jack shared large grins. To hide the content expression on his face at the obvious affection between the two, Jacob got up from the table and began making breakfast.

"Was there anyone else that either of you wanted to invite for Christmas dinner tomorrow? If I'm going to cook, I might as well make it for more than just the three of us," Jacob claimed.

Sam and Jack began to protest, but Jacob continued, "You can't talk me out of it. This is the first time Sam's been home for Christmas since high school, and I intend to make the best of it. So how many should I plan on feeding?"

Sam gave up trying to fight her father on this. She had learned long ago that she wouldn't win.

"Kawalsky and Ferretti," Sam said, glancing at Jack for confirmation, "assuming they don't have any family in the area."

Jack was confident regarding his friends. "I'm sure they'll be here. What about Hank? I know he doesn't have any family in the area."

"Hank?" Jacob asked

"Hank Landry," Jack clarified. "He's an old friend that I've worked with before. He also happens to be Ferretti and Kawalsky's CO."

"So just three then?" Jacob asked.

"Unless you had someone else to invite, Dad," Sam replied, "But remember, they're guys. I'm sure it will be more like feeding a whole platoon."

"We aren't that bad," insisted Jack.

Sam gaped at him. "Jack! I watched you guys finish off the biggest plate of burgers and fries I've ever seen yesterday, and you still had room for dessert. After finishing mine!"

"On second thought, Dad, maybe we are that bad," Jack relented.

When Jack said the word Dad, Jacob's head whipped around to look at Jack, but Jack took no notice of this action. Instead, he was acting rather nonchalant, like calling Jacob "Dad" was a normal thing. Internally, Jacob was grinning. Jack was being awfully presumptuous, but already, Jacob was thinking about how good of an addition to the family Jack would be, not that Jacob planned on telling him that-ever!

"So what are you two planning to do today?" Jacob asked.

Sam and Jack looked at each other and spoke with their eyes, Jacob watched in amazement as without words the two communicated.

"The gym," they both said at the exact same time with grins on their faces.

"I need to demonstrate to some people that I really can kick their butts like I told them I could," Sam claimed as she dug into the eggs Jacob had just put in front of her.

Jacob eyed Jack. "Are you getting my daughter into trouble?"

"No sir, she's more than capable of doing that herself," Jack reminded Jacob with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Glad to know that she hasn't changed a bit," Jacob commented.

Sam was in disbelief. Her father and boyfriend were trading barbs about her! If they hadn't been talking about her, she would have laughed at the sight. "Excuse me," she reminded them, "I'm sitting right here."

"So you are," admitted Jack as he gave Sam's free hand a tight squeeze.

----

A trip to the gym wasn't really what Sam wanted to do, but considering she hadn't made the effort to exercise since her arrival in D.C., her body was craving some physical movement.

Sam changed into her workout clothes, a pair of shorts and a tank top, and met Jack for a leisurely warm-up around the track that circled the basketball courts and workout room. Both of them stretched, working out the kinks that the short run had given their muscles, and then they met on the sparring mats.

Jack and Sam quickly fell into their easy pattern of trading punches and blocks as they took turns challenging each other. They only paused when Ferretti and Kawalsky approached the mat.

"Jack, you up for letting us having a chance at the lady?" Kawalsky casually asked.

Jack quietly stepped back as Kawalsky stepped towards Sam, sure he was going to enjoy the upcoming show. Overly confident, Kawalsky threw one punch and found himself over balanced and then sprawled out on the mat.

"I thought you said he was good," Sam said, directing her comment towards Jack with a huge grin on her face.

The sight of their friend being immediately dumped on the mat by a female resulted in Jack and Ferretti holding their stomachs as they attempted to contain their laughter.

Kawalsky rolled over and said, "Laugh all you want Ferretti, you're next."

Ferretti quickly halted his laughter and his face became an expression of panic as he realized that he was going to face the same person he had just laughed at.

"Come on Ferretti, I promise I won't permanently damage anything but your ego," Sam offered.

The laughter that ensued resulted in Sam shaking her head as she grabbed her bottle of water and towel and headed for the locker room, knowing that her workout for the day was over.

----

Later, they were sitting in the base mess hall eating lunch. Hank had joined the foursome as they sat down to eat, and Sam mentioned the invitation for the following day.

"If you don't have any plans for lunch tomorrow, my dad has instructed me to extend an invitation to the three of you," Sam offered.

"What's the catch?" asked Hank.

"Catch?" smiled Sam innocently.

"Yeah the part where you conveniently leave out some little fact that will result in me embarrassing myself," claimed Hank, thinking of his introduction to Sam.

"Oh, you mean the part where she forgets to tell you that her dad is a retired Major General," said Jack with a wicked grin on his face.

Hank groaned, "Yeah, something like that."

"I think that's the only other secret that I'm keeping. But I'll let you know if you stumble across any more," Sam promised.

"So what time should we be there?" Ferretti asked eagerly.

They agreed on 1200 hours and went their separate ways.

----

Jack and Sam made a trip to the mall, needing to purchase Christmas gifts for each other and for Jacob.

The rest of the day was spent decorating the Christmas tree. Sam and Jacob took turns regaling Jack with the stories behind certain ornaments.

When Jacob went to bed at almost midnight, he cheerfully reminded the couple, "Remember, Santa won't come if you stay up too late."

Jack laughed as he replied, "I'm not too worried since the only thing Santa will be leaving me is coal."

Jacob had to quickly escape from the room in an attempt to hide his laughter at the man's childish antics. But judging by the giggles coming from his daughter, Jack's comment had been intentional. And as long as Sam was happy, Jacob didn't mind the man so much. When Jacob Carter drifted off to sleep he was anticipating Christmas morning more than he had in years.

Sam and Jack sat on the couch, snuggled under a quilt, enjoying the magic of the lights and ornaments on the tree.

Sam broke the silence by asking, "What was your favorite Christmas?"

Jack smiled fondly, but he had a hint of sadness in his eyes as he recounted the memory. "Charlie was five," he began, "It was the first Christmas that I got to be home when Charlie was actually old enough to understand Christmas. I flew in late on Christmas Eve so he didn't even know I was home and was up all night trying to put together a 'big boy' bike for him. He was graduating to a bike without training wheels. It took me hours, but I managed to do it. I think I was only asleep for a few hours when he came in to wake Sara up, eager as a puppy because it was Christmas. He got so excited when he saw that I was home that he forgot it was Christmas. Charlie ended up crawling into bed with us and falling back to sleep."

"When he woke up later he asked me if Santa had come, and I carried him downstairs to see the tree. I don't think that Charlie was as excited about the bike as much as he was excited that I was there to help him ride it. Despite the fact there was snow on the ground, he insisted that we go outside immediately so that he could ride it. Even though I hadn't had my coffee, I went out to shovel the driveway so that he could ride his bike. And ride it he did. We must have been out there for hours because he was almost frozen stiff by the time I carried him kicking and screaming inside. We didn't even get to open the rest of his presents until after lunch because he fell asleep in my arms first," Jack finished.

"Sounds like a pretty great Christmas," Sam commented.

"The best," Jack replied. "What about your favorite Christmas?"

"Mine was the last year my mom was alive. It was the last time I truly had a family Christmas. Dad was home, and Mark was happy. We were all happy. Christmas morning came, and I don't even remember what all I got except for this silver charm bracelet. I still have it at home in my jewelry box as a reminder of how a family should be," Sam said wistfully.

"A family?"

"Yeah, I've always dreamt of a family where the husband loves his wife, and she loves him even more. And they're so happy together that they decide that they have enough love for a son or a daughter or both. That's what a family is all about, people that love each other and stick by each other so that nothing tears them apart," Sam explained.

"Huh. Pretty lofty dream," Jack said.

"That's probably why I haven't found a guy that I've actually walked down the aisle to marry yet," Sam confessed, "There must be something wrong with my lofty standards."

"Hey," Jack said as he forced Sam to look at him. "There is nothing wrong with you, Sam, and there is definitely nothing wrong with wanting the perfect guy. He's out there waiting for you, and he'll be lucky to be waiting at the altar for you."

The fact that Jack didn't presume that the guy was him surprised Sam. After all, she was dating him! Jack had been very upfront that he only dated with the intent to marry, but she had to wonder how long it took him to 'pop the question' to Sara.

Right now though, none of that married to Sam as she drifted off to sleep wrapped up in Jack's arms, dreaming of a future that involved the two of them and the perfect family.


	14. Chapter 14

Jacob Carter found a surprising scene when he walked into the living room on Christmas morning. His daughter was asleep in the arms of her boyfriend. Her head leaned against his chest, and his chin rested on top of her head. The only reason Jacob didn't immediately launch into overprotective father mode was that Jack had proven himself to be trustworthy so far, plus both of them were fully clothed.

As if Jack could feel Jacob's eyes on him, he woke up. Remaining motionless as his black ops training had taught him, Jack directed his gaze to Jacob and offered a small smile. Jacob returned his smile, which Jack took to mean that he was safe from any Carter backlash for the time being.

Jack watched Jacob leave the room and go towards the kitchen. Shortly, Jack heard the noise that he had come to associate with breakfast in the Carter household. Sam stirred at the noise, and Jack looked at her closed eyes which began to flutter open as she attempted to place her surroundings.

"Good morning," Jack whispered, not wanting to startle her.

"Morning," Sam offered to him along with a kiss on his cheek. "Why didn't you wake me up?" Sam asked.

"You looked comfortable," Jack explained, "And it's never bothered me to wake up with a beautiful woman in my arms."

"Don't get too used to it," Sam told him.

"I won't," Jack promised understanding the underlying message that things wouldn't be going farther than a little snuggling on the couch.

Eventually, Sam pulled away from Jack and headed to the bathroom.

Jack decided he might as well get it over with so he went to the kitchen where he was sure Jacob was waiting with a lecture.

"Merry Christmas," Jacob said, handing Jack a cup of coffee.

"Merry Christmas," Jack responded and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"How did you sleep last night?" Jacob asked with a knowing smile.

"Slightly uncomfortable, but it was the best sleep I've had in a long, long time."

Silence ensued. "Just say what you're going to say Jacob and get it over with," Jack pleaded.

"There's nothing for me to say, son. Sam's old enough to make her own decisions, and I know where she stands on stuff like that. I've said what I need to say, and until something changes between you and my daughter, you won't hear much else from me," Jacob explained.

"So as long as Sam's happy, I can quit fearing for my life," Jack simplified.

"Yes."

Jack made a show of wiping his forehead and sighing in relief. "That's good to know."

----

They were all sitting in the living room preparing to open presents when Sam's cell phone rang. She looked at the display for a few seconds in confusion before answering.

"Carter."

"Hey there beautiful," said the familiar voice which made Sam smile.

"Hello handsome," she replied in lighthearted voice while Jacob and Jack traded confused glances as they attempted to figure out who would be calling Sam on Christmas Day. And more importantly who she would be addressing with such easy familiarity.

"Are you all alone for Christmas again this year?" the voice asked.

"No," Sam replied, "I'm actually at Dad's house with Jack."

"Really? That's great, Sam. Why don't you put me on speaker so I can talk to everyone," the voice requested.

"Okay," Sam said as she pushed the speaker button on her phone and scooted closer to Jack so that he could be heard on the phone. "Dad, get over here, someone wants to say 'hi.'"

Jacob joined his daughter on the couch, still confused as to who it could be.

"Hey, can everyone hear me?" the familiar voice asked.

"Sure can, Cam," Jacob replied with a smile on his face, happy to hear from one of his daughter's oldest friends.

"General, I'm glad to hear that Sam's spending Christmas with you this year. She needs someone to talk some sense into her for even thinking about dating that Colonel O'Neill," Cam said in a joking tone.

"Hey!" Sam and Jack said at the same time.

"I'm sitting right here Captain Mitchell, in case you forgot," Jack reminded the man.

"I'm not too concerned sir, as long as Jacob is also sitting there. He's always liked me. Oh, and by the way Sam, you can't order me around any more. That promotion I've been hoping for came through, I'm Major Mitchell now," Cam announced.

They each offered their own congratulations to Cam before Sam made her own announcement. "I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Cam," she stated.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly worried.

"Well, you know how you said I couldn't order you around anymore," Sam questioned.

"Yeah, we're both majors," he offered.

Sam had a huge grin on her face. "I was promoted. You're talking to Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, so you're still stuck following my orders," she proclaimed.

Cam's groaning made Sam laugh.

"I'm sorry son," Jacob said, displaying his own smile, "I know how much you were looking forward to not having to take orders from Sam, but some things just aren't meant to be."

Cam offered an exaggerated sigh. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take what I can get, because things could be a lot worse," Cam claimed.

"Oh, and how could things get worse," wondered Jack aloud.

"Sam could be my CO," Cam stated with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"According to you, Cam, according to you," she said, joining the others in laughter.

"I have to go because other people need to use the phone, but I just wanted to call and wish you a Merry Christmas, Sam, and seriously, congratulations on the promotion, you really deserve it," Cam said as he bid them all good-bye.

"Well, that was a surprise," Jack said after Sam hung up.

"Not really," Sam claimed, "Cam and I have traded phone calls on Christmas Day since we were in the Academy together. We went through flight school together, and he was my wing man. There was an incident when he clipped my wing, and while I was able to land my plane safely, he had to take the nylon letdown. Our many experiences together forged a bond between us, and we've made a habit of calling each other on Christmas Day."

"Huh. Is that 'incident' why he's a rank behind you despite you both being the same age?" Jack asked.

"It's part of it, at least," Sam explained. "We were flying a low pattern, when he had to eject, his chute didn't have time to fully deploy, so he got banged up pretty bad on the landing, and we weren't in, shall we say, a good area of town which put our whole mission at risk. Luckily Cam was quickly retrieved, but it took several months before he could return to flight status. He was back for six months when he was driving home from the D.C. 4th of July celebration. He had already dropped me off at my apartment and was headed back to base when he got sideswiped by a drunk driver. He spent almost another year recovering from that crash. While he was in the hospital and rehab, I was still active duty and able to work on some high profile projects resulting in my promotion. If things had been different, I would have been the one hurt both times."

"You can't control what happens Sam, sometimes things just do," Jack reminded her, thinking about Charlie's death.

"He doesn't blame you nor has he ever," Jacob softly reminded her.

"It was so hard to see someone that I love like a brother hurting though, Dad. Cam became my replacement for Mark, my big brother, and every time I get recognized, I hate thinking about how he was laid up while I was getting promoted."

Jack wrapped his arms around Sam and pulled her to him. "If I can stop blaming myself for Charlie's death, you should have no problem putting your big brain to work on convincing yourself that Cam's accidents aren't your fault," Jack requested.

Jacob wondered who Charlie was, but judging by the current situation, now was not the time to be asking that question, so he snuck out of the room, leaving Jack to handle a now crying Sam.

Jack didn't really have any way to make Sam feel better other than holding her close and waiting on her to let out emotion that had obviously been bottled up for a long time. When her tears were gone and her breathing returned to normal, Sam tried to pull away from Jack, but he refused to loosen his grip.

Sam apologized, "I'm sorry for getting your shirt all wet."

Jack looked down to see that Sam's tears had indeed created a wet patch on his shirt. "Oh well," he shrugged, "It'll dry."

At that point the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their guests. Sam looked at Jack and wordlessly asked if he would mind getting the door while she pulled herself together. He headed for the door while she headed upstairs.

Jack opened the door to reveal Kawalsky, Ferretti, and Hank Landry. "Come on in, guys," he said.

Jacob walked into the living room as soon as the coats had been removed. "Kawalsky and Ferretti, I'm glad that you could make it." Jacob turned to Hank and extended his hand, "You must be Hank Landry. I'm Jacob Carter."

Hank shook Jacob's hand. "It's nice to meet you General. I know absolutely nothing about you, but if your daughter is anything like you, we'll get along fine."

"We're nothing alike, Hank," Sam called as she came down the stairs, "other than our military backgrounds."

"That's okay Sam, I'm sure that Hank has plenty of good things to tell me about Jack, so I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Jacob said while glancing at Hank with a hint of conspiracy in his eyes.

"Is there any way that I can get out of this," Jack loudly stage whispered to Sam.

"I doubt it," Sam replied in the same style. "But remember Dad actually likes you, so the stories are purely for his own entertainment and your embarrassment."

"He does?" Jack asked his voice returning to normal.

"I do?" Jacob asked, surprised that Sam would make that assumption.

"Yeah, he does, otherwise he never would have let you stay here. Even Cam got relegated to a BOQ [Bachelor Officer's Quarters after the first night," Sam explained giving a pointed look to her father.

"Okay, so he's not the worst guy that Sam has ever brought home," Jacob admitted.

Sam wanted to put a quick stop to where this discussion was headed. "I'm hungry. Is lunch about ready?"

Pretty soon, all of them were sitting down in the dining room. The table was piled high with the traditional Christmas food, and everyone dug in. It was much later when the last person, Kawalsky, set down his fork and declared, "I can't eat another bite."

Jacob surveyed the table and offered a small chuckle. "I'm glad I listened to Sam when she told me that you guys would eat enough to feed a platoon."

"Well sir," Ferretti said, "It's not often that we get this kind of food, and considering where we're headed in a couple of days, I doubt we'll be seeing this kind of a spread until we're home again."

Kawalsky and Hank nodded their agreement.

"How long are you scheduled to be deployed?" Jacob questioned.

"Four months, but you know how that goes," Hank offered.

All present nodded their agreement, understanding perfectly well that four months was a rough estimate. The Air Force would keep them there for as long as their services were needed.

"Where are you guys stationed?" Jack asked, knowing full well that their assignment would take them away from this location.

"It's classified," Hank stated, not wanting one of his subordinates to give anything away that they shouldn't.

Jack knew exactly what kind of assignments these men would be receiving-the ones that no one would ever know had occurred which was something which he was very familiar.

"Well, if D.C. is a stop on your return trip, make sure you let me know so I can cook again and celebrate your safe return," Jacob offered.

"That's not necessary General," Ferretti insisted.

"Nonsense son," Jacob replied, "Any friend of Sam's is welcome here, especially when it comes to celebrating his safe return from behind enemy lines. Besides," Jacob added, "I'm sure that you will be much more forthcoming with information when Jack can't hear you."

Jack's eyes opened wide in shock, and he sent his best glare at the three men. "I'm sure they will, _Dad_, but they would do well to remember that I have my own stories to tell about _their_ past."

"That may be so, _son,_" Jacob replied with a knowing smile, "But none of the stories that you have about them are worth anything to me."

"For cryin' out loud," Jack said which caused everyone to share a laugh.

----

Sam, Jack, and Jacob said their final good-byes to Hank, Ferretti, and Kawalsky as Sam and Jack had an early hop back to Colorado Springs. While Sam had only recently met the three men, each of them had quickly found a special spot in her heart. They were given very specific instructions from Jacob that they were to call him the next time they were in D.C. Sam and Jack insisted the same thing if the threesome made it out to Colorado. They all wished the men the best and safest deployment possible, and Sam graced each of the men with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, much to their embarrassment.

Now that they were alone, Sam, Jack, and Jacob exchanged Christmas presents.

Jacob began by handing Sam a large, carefully wrapped box. "This isn't something new, but I've been holding onto it until it was the right time to give it you. I think now is that time," he explained.

Sam delicately pulled the wrapping paper off the package to reveal a large cardboard box. Curious now, she opened the box to reveal a wooden box. The box was obviously hand carved. "Dad?" Sam asked.

Jacob took the wooden box out of its careful packaging and placed it on Sam's lap. "I gave this to your mother not long after I first met her. I've never looked inside, but in a letter she wrote me, she said that she wanted you to have this box and that I would know when it was the right time to give it to you. I think now is that time. I know your mom left some very special things in that box, so you should probably wait until you're at home to open it," Jacob explained.

Tears welled up in Sam's eyes. "She told me that she had something to give me one day but never said what 'it' was, I guess this is it." Sam held the box while memories briefly welled up, then she carefully set it aside and looked to her father to watch him open his two presents.

Jacob took slightly less care than Sam in unwrapping the present from her. Inside he found a framed picture of the two of them arriving at the hotel for the formal party that had followed Sam's promotion to LC. After crushing his daughter in a hug and commenting on how beautiful she looked, Jacob opened an envelope that had to have come from Jack.

He turned his eyes to Jack and asked, "What is this for?"

Jack took the airline voucher out and explained. "This is my way of ensuring that you make it out to Colorado Springs some time this spring. Neither of us can really get away to visit, but you, on the other hand, should have no problem finding a week to come out and visit. When I cancelled my flight to Minnesota, the only thing they could do was offer me a travel voucher. Since I know that I won't be making use of it, I figured you wouldn't mind a more comfortable ride than a hop on a military plane. I figured if I asked really nice and promised to cook some steak, I might even be able to convince you to give a special lecture to my cadets," Jack offered.

Jacob looked at Sam and asked, "Did you know about this?"

Sam nodded, "Jack checked with me to make sure I was okay with it first, if that's what you mean."

"Well, then I guess I'll have to call you and make plans for a visit to the Springs sometime this spring," Jacob relented.

The two Carters turned to Jack as he tore into his present much like a young child, ripping all of the wrapping paper right off. Jacob's box held a book with beautiful pictures of the stars. Jack looked questioningly at Jacob.

Jacob's only words were "Sam suggested it." Jack offered them both a grateful smile as he turned back to the envelope which had been tucked into the box.

Opening it, he found two tickets and a piece of paper.

_This certificate entitles the bearer to one date at the Colorado Springs Observatory, making use of the enclosed tickets. Said date also includes dinner at an undisclosed location._

Jack smiled and gathered Sam in a hug, thanking her for her thoughtfulness and already looking forward to their future date.

The two men now turned to Sam to watch her open her last present, the one from Jack.

For Jacob, this would be the true test of Jack's competence.

Sam opened the box to find an envelope. Wondering just what Jack had gotten her, she squealed when she opened it to find two tickets to a production of "Singin' in the Rain" in Denver.

"How did you know," she asked in amazement, still looking at the tickets in disbelief.

Jack squirmed slightly under her gaze. "Cam mentioned something, so I went and got us tickets to the opening performance," Jack admitted.

"Wow! Thank you," she said, giving Jack a kiss that showed just how much she appreciated his gift.

Jacob watched the couple and wondered if his visit to Colorado Springs would serve more than one purpose. Regardless, Jacob decided that as soon as Jack and Sam were gone, he needed to make it a priority to find out a little bit more about Colonel Jack O'Neill, especially who Charlie was that he seemed to make the two of them able to relate.

----

Later that night, Jack and Sam were sitting on the couch again, in much the same position as Jacob had found them that morning.

"I've been thinking about something," Jack said.

Sam turned her head to look at him. "Really? You've been thinking," she asked her eyes gleaming with laughter.

"It's been known to happen," he retorted, letting laughter light his eyes. "Seriously though, what mission were you on with Cam that had you in a 'bad area of town?'

"It's classified," Sam began, "The story we are allowed to tell is that it was a training mission for the Gulf, though most people know that's not the truth. It was after that mission that they decided my stint as a pilot was over and I was sent to the labs. I guess it was a blessing in disguise because I was able to finish my doctorate in record time. That earned me my promotion to Major 5 years ago. Then I got moved from one classified project to another until my most recent one which I've been working on for almost 3 years now, and this one is a dream come true - as close as I'll ever get to NASA," Sam admitted.

"So you never really did that much flying," Jack speculated.

"Not really, that was more Cam's department. I'm still cleared to fly, but the time that we went up right after Thanksgiving was my first time other than regular evals since Cam had to eject. Cam likes to make it sound like I'm a really great pilot, but I was in the program for other reasons, not that I can tell you what those are," she quickly added.

"I figured that," Jack accepted. "Your past is almost as classified as mine, except mine is probably significantly darker. I did the whole black-ops thing for a long time."

"So I guess we won't be talking too much about work, huh?" Sam said.

"Guess not," Jack said with a smile, "But I can think of better things for us to do than talk," he explained as he leaned down to capture Sam's lips in a kiss.

They were so caught up in the kiss that neither Sam nor Jack noticed Jacob come into the room until he gave a small cough which caused the couple to immediately break apart.

Sam's cheeks glowed bright red with embarrassment whereas Jack refused to hide his 'cat got the canary grin'. Jacob just shook his head in disbelief. Then, he leaned down and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "Good night Sammie," he said.

Jacob looked at the couple before he left the room and stated, "You might have forgotten, but the beds in this house are significantly more comfortable than the couch. Separate beds," he clarified, sending a meaningful glare in Jack's direction.

The look of horror on Jack's face was priceless enough that Jacob did an abrupt about face and left the room, heading for his own bedroom so that he could laugh without the chance of being heard.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: I thank all of you for being patient as I waited quite a while before updating this story. Updates should come more often now as I have a large part of the story already written. There will be some major angst ahead though before things get better. I'm not sure where this story will end, so any suggestions as to where you, as the reader, want me to take it would be helpful (like continue it past the first briefing, to the point that they are married with kids, defeat of Anubis at the end of Season 8, or some other point?)! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

----

Sam and Jack enjoyed the rest of their vacation, although they still hadn't been on an official 'date'. Sure, they had been out places together to meet up with friends, but never on a clear cut date, something which Jack wanted to rectify as soon as possible. So on the first Friday night of the semester, Jack found himself standing in a suit and tie, knocking on the door to Sam's house. When she opened the door dressed in her BDUs, Jack's face fell.

"I am so sorry," she said as she walked out the door, "The base just called and I have to go in ASAP."

"It's okay," Jack promised as he walked Sam to her car and helped her inside. Only after Sam's tail lights had faded out of view, did Jack realize that he was still holding the bouquet of flowers that he had intended to give her.

----

Now it was Valentine's Day. After ruining their last three attempts at a date, Sam had informed the base that she was not to be interrupted unless the world was going to end, something that had been backed up by an order from General Hammond.

The first date had ended before it started, the second had been interrupted when Sam's cell phone had rang in the middle of their movie, calling her back to the base for an emergency, the third date had managed to survive until the main course was served, when an Airman had approached the table and informed 'Colonel Carter' that her presence was being requested at Cheyenne Mountain immediately.

Even laid back Jack was starting to get frustrated with their lack of ability to complete a real date. They had managed to catch a quick meal together on occasion, but never had the opportunity to actually have a date where Jack got to pick Sam up at the beginning of the evening and then take her back to her home at the end of the evening.

And despite her repeated apologies, Sam was wondering if this relationship was ever going to get off the ground. She knew it was only a matter of time before Jack got fed up with the way her career interfered with their relationship and broke up with her.

Regardless of where this 'thing' was headed, Sam was just glad she had someone to share Valentine's Day with this year. So when the doorbell rang Sam sighed one last time and opened the door to find a casually dressed Jack O'Neill standing there with a bag of takeout in one hand and a movie in the other.

"Hey," he said taking in her appearance that was a total opposite of what he was wearing.

While Jack had on his favorite pair of non-holey jeans and a black long sleeve T-shirt under his favorite leather jacket, Sam had on a gorgeous red dress with matching high heels.

Instantly Jack felt sorry that he hadn't informed Sam of his decision to change their plans for the evening. "Wow Sam, you look amazing," he finally managed to say.

"I could say the say for you," she replied.

"Sure I do," Jack claimed sarcastically, "But as much as I hate to say this, we aren't going anywhere to night. I figured curling up with my girlfriend and watching a movie was a much better idea than attempting to brave the crowds. While I love the dress and can't wait to see you in it again, I think you might want to go put on something a little bit more comfortable," Jack suggested as he stepped into Sam's house and shut the door behind him.

"But I thought you wanted to go out on a date," Sam protested, confused at Jack's actions.

"Yes," Jack insisted, "I want to go on a date with my girlfriend. But I figure that if we don't go anywhere, I'm saving us at least 30 minutes so that maybe we'll make it to dessert before you get a phone call from the base."

Slightly miffed at Jack's decision to change their plans without consulting her, Sam still changed clothes and had decided that the two of them needed to talk about some things. Yet when she entered her living room again, she found that Jack had lit candles all around the room and moved her coffee table to the side so that he could spread out a picnic cloth on the floor.

"Jack O'Neill," Sam said, "You are a romantic at heart."

Jack smirked at the compliment and reminded her, "You tell anyone that and I'll have to kill you."

"Your secret is safe with me," Sam assured him as she sat on the floor.

The fact that Sam and Jack had done nothing more than trade an occasional e-mail and phone call during the week, meant that the majority of the meal was spent catching each other up on the week's happenings in each other's lives.

For dessert, Jack opened a box to reveal two large pieces of chocolate cake that Sam recognized as being from Uncle Drew's. Jack handed her one of the pieces and a fork, and the two dug in.

And then a cell phone rang.

Jack looked at Sam and asked, "Are you going to answer that?"

Sam smiled sweetly and responded, "I would but that isn't my cell phone, it's yours."

Jack groaned as he went to dig his cell phone out from his jacket pocket and answered it. "O'Neill."

"Slow down Lieutenant."

"Is he okay?"

"Where is he at?"

"Do the other cadets know?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

With that Jack shut his cell phone and turned to Sam. "I need to go to the hospital. One of my cadets was in an accident and things aren't looking very good," he explained.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Sam asked.

Jack shook his head, "You don't need to go."

Sam stood up and put a hand on Jack's arm, "Do you _want_ me to go with you," she repeated.

"Yes," he finally admitted.

"Okay, why don't you blow out the candles and I'll grab my jacket and lock up," Sam offered.

Five minutes later, they were on their way to the hospital, the same hospital that Jack had taken Charlie to slightly more than a year ago.

They pulled into the parking lot and rushed inside. Jack found a large group of cadets already in the waiting room of the emergency room along with a couple of police officers. Jack and Sam approached the nurse on duty and asked about Cadet Mathew Hammer.

Sam's heart dropped when she heard that name and instantly knew why Jack was so worried. The young man, despite his initial tactics, had quickly become one of Jack's star pupils. Only a sophomore, Jack had confided in her that he was considering recommending him for position in one of the training groups next year that was normally reserved for seniors.

Even Sam had come to like the young man. His initial show of having a quick wit had obviously hidden his good heart. Along with being good student, he volunteered his time to be a 'Big Brother' to three boys who were in foster care. Sam had discovered this when Matt, as he preferred to be called, had brought the three boys with him to a football game where he was serving in the honor guard. The three boys had obviously been in awe of Matt and even more, had enjoyed the attention that Jack had given them on that Saturday afternoon.

Now, they waited for word from the doctors to find out just how Matt was.

While they waited, Jack made the rounds, talking to each of the cadets whereas Sam approached the police officers who were watching the whole proceedings with interest, and keeping one eye on their three charges.

After a nod to the two police officers, Sam picked up the smallest of the three boys and placed him in her lap as she sat down on the couch between the other two.

All three of the boys had been crying, judging by their red eyes and still wet cheeks. With Sam there, the boys instantly latched onto her, refusing to let her move much and broke into a fresh wave of tears. Jack approached them and crouched in front of the boys, ignoring the attempts of the police officers to question him.

"Hey there boys," he said softly, "Do you guy want to tell me what happened?"

Each of the boys shook their heads no and it was at this point that one of the officers spoke up. "Eye witnesses say that a man pulled a gun on the clerk at the gas station. Cadet Hammer and the three boys walked into the store, not knowing what was going on inside. The suspect was surprised and the gun went off. Cadet Hammer managed to push the boys out of harms way, but got hit," the officer explained. "We have the man in custody now, but these boys haven't said a word since we arrived. We're sure that their parents are wondering where they're at, so if you could help us out at all, we'd appreciate it."

Jack nodded, and stood up. Then, he did a little rearranging of the couch. He pulled Jimmy, the small boy that was sitting in Sam's lap into his arms, and motioned for Sam to stand up. Instinctively, the two boys that were left on the couch scooted closer together. Jack then pushed Sam into a seat on the edge of the couch and handed Jimmy back to her. Then, Jack picked up the boy on the end and sat down, settling Mark into his lap, and leaving Tim scrunched in between the two officers.

The boys had all made sounds of protest when they had been moved around, but now seemed pleased at the new arrangement.

Jack looked at the officers, addressing them now for the first time. "I'm not sure where these three boys live, but I do know that they are all in foster care," he added as an afterthought.

The two men looked expected at Jack, and were slightly disturbed when he failed to continued, instead choosing to wrap his arm around Sam and Tim, pulling the closer to him as they waited.

----

The boys had drifted off to sleep, and the waiting room was getting quite crowded as more cadets had continued to arrive. When the door to the operating room finally opened and a doctor stepped out, Jack carefully detangled himself from the sleeping children and placed Mark carefully on the couch. Jack approached the doctor who stood in awe at the number of people sitting and standing in the waiting room. While the doctor had begun his search for family members, he was surprised to see a man that he recognized approach with a different woman on his arm than the last time he had seen him.

"Doctor," the man said, "I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, Matt's commanding officer. How is he doing?"

"Jack O'Neill," the doctor thought, "the little boy's father." The doctor remembered that case quite clearly. The man had come in with his little boy who had eventually died from a gunshot wound. Right now, it seemed like the only thing that was keeping him from falling apart like he had last time, was the tight grip he had on the blonde woman's hand.

"Colonel," the doctor said, "I can't tell you everything but I will say that Matt made it through surgery without any complications. The next 24 hours will be critical. I won't lie to you. He's not out of the woods yet. If he survives, there's a chance that he won't walk again."

Gasps went up around the room as everyone heard the doctor's words. Sam placed her hand on Jack's shoulder as his whole demeanor sank. "What exactly are his injuries doctor?" Sam asked.

"The bullet hit close to his spinal cord. There was a fair amount of bleeding and I had to do quite amount of digging to get it out. Right now there's a fairly large amount of swelling around his spinal cord, when that goes down and Matt wakes up, we'll know more about his future," the doctor explained.

"I want to see Matt," a little voice called from the couch, causing the doctor to turn to that location.

The doctor saw the three little boys all crowded together on the couch and then looked at Jack. "Only for a short time. Matt is asleep right now so you need to quiet," the doctor offered.

Jack nodded his agreement as the three boys rushed over to where Jack and Sam were already waiting. The doctor walked them down a hallway to a room where Matt lay in a bed looking pale and fragile.

The boys were obviously frightened by the number of machines that Matt was hooked up to and stayed close to Jack and Sam, gripping their hands.

After a few minutes, the doctor quietly said, "You guys need to let him rest now. I'll arrange it with the nursing staff so that you can come back later," he offered.

"Thank you doc," Jack said, "Is there anything else we can do?"

The doctor hesitated before asking, "Do you know if Matt has any family that we need to contact?"

Jack shook his head, "No, he was in foster care until he started college. He doesn't have any family."

----

Jack refused to let the police officers take the three children back to their foster home, insisting that he would do it. So at 2 in the morning, Jack and Sam knocked on the door of a small but well kept house. A worried looking woman opened the door, and saw that Jack and Sam each had one of the younger children in their arms and they were each fast asleep while they pushed a barely awake third child towards the door.

"Come in," she said quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping children.

Jack and Sam carried the two boys to the room the woman led them to and quickly pulled off their shoes and socks before pulling the covers up over them while the woman did the same. When they left the room, they followed the woman to the kitchen where she offered each of them a cup of coffee.

"I was worried about them. Matt has always called if he was going to be late, but because he said that he might keep the kids overnight, I didn't think too much of it. I figured that they were having such a good time that he just forgot to call. I'm guessing because he didn't bring them home that something happened," she said looking pointedly at Sam and Jack waiting for them to explain.

It was Sam who answered, not wanting to put Jack through that experience. "There was an accident. We don't know all the details but Matt and the boys walked into a holdup of a gas station. The thief was surprised and the gun went off. Matt managed to push the boys out of the way but the bullet hit him. Jack," Sam said, indicating the man, "got a call because he's Matt commanding officer and we rushed to the hospital. The boys wouldn't tell us where they lived until after they saw Matt."

"Oh my gosh! Is Matt going to be okay?" the woman asked.

"They don't know yet," Jack said. "I promised the boys that I would take them back tomorrow, if you don't have a problem with it," Jack offered.

"I'm not much for letting the boys go out with strangers," the woman insisted.

Jack offered a small smile. "I can understand that. How about I tell you a little bit about myself and then you decide," Jack offered before continuing. "My name is Colonel Jack O'Neill and Matt is one of my cadets in the ROTC program at the University of Colorado. Despite initial misgivings, he's proven to be one of the best cadets that I have the privilege of working with."

"I've heard Matt mention you," the woman said, "He had nothing but good things to say about you."

That one statement set the tone for the rest of the conversation, at the end of which, Karen, the boys' foster mom, agreed to Jack's plans to pick the boys up the following morning to visit Matt in the hospital.

----

Every day for two weeks, Jack faithfully picked up the three boys from school and took them to see a recovering Matt. The swelling had finally gone down and the doctors had been happy to say that Matt would see no lasting damaging from his accident. They expected him to make a full recovery and to be back to full fighting form in a couple of months.

The night after Matt's welcome back party, exactly two weeks before spring break, Sam reminded Jack of an upcoming event.

"You didn't forget that my dad is coming tomorrow did you," Sam said, knowing full well that Jack had not.

"Oh is that tomorrow," Jack asked, playing his dumb card.

"Jack quit the stupid act, I know you remember because I talked to Dad and he said you called him," Sam insisted.

"Can't blame a guy for trying can you?" Jack pleaded using his puppy dog eyes.

"I guess not," Sam accepted, "But I should warn you that dad has probably done some check up on you and he won't be pulling any punches when he asks questions this time."

"Sam, I've dealt with father before," he reminded her.

"I know Jack," Sam assured him, "But Dad will have no qualms about asking questions-"

Jack cut her off, "I know Sam. I survived the initial interrogation remember."

"I'm just warning you that he won't shy away from the hard stuff. While there is a lot that he won't have clearance to know, whatever he does ask about, he won't let you brush him off," Sam explained.

"What are you trying to tell me Sam?" Jack asked with a slight amount of anger in his voice. "I won't hide my past from your dad just because it might make it easier on you."

"Easier on me? Jack I'm not the one who was married before!"

"Don't bring Sara into this," Jack demanded.

Sam took a deep breath. "I'm not. I never have before, but I'm telling you that Dad will," she stated as calmly as she could.

"It doesn't bother you does it," Jack asked suddenly. "That I was married before," he added seeing the confused expression on Sam's face.

"Do you still love her?" Sam questioned in return, almost waiting for his answer to break her heart.

"Sara will always have a special place in my heart," Jack admitted. "She gave me Charlie and no one can ever replace the spot that both of them have in my heart."

"Then what am I Jack?" Sam asked softly, already feeling her heart beginning to break.

Jack sat there for a long time before he opened his mouth to answer, only to realize that Sam wasn't there.

Jack looked all over for Sam. He checked the house, the backyard, and even the roof where his telescope was before he realized that Sam's car was gone. Jack went back into the house and collapsed onto the couch and Jack O'Neill cried himself to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

When Tuesday rolled around and the only thing Jack had heard from Sam came in the form of an e-mail that told him not to call her, Jack knew that he had officially screwed up. When Jacob Carter blew into his office with no warning, Jack would have been quivering in his boots if he didn't already feel like crap.

Jacob calmly shut the door, took a seat, and starred at Jack. Finally Jack couldn't take it any longer.

"Go ahead and say whatever it is that you're going to say Jacob and put me out of my misery."

Jacob gave a short laugh. "You know, most guys backed off Sam after they met me. You were her first boyfriend that I actually liked, and then you went and made my little girl cry. If I wasn't sure that doing something to you would make Sam more upset, you'd better believe that you would be cowering in fear right now."

Jacob had to hide a grin at the surprised expression on Jack's face. His words had obviously had an effect on the man, but only the rest of the discussion would tell him if Jack was worthy of Sam.

"But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you off easy. Sam wouldn't tell me much about what happened other than to say that the two of you weren't on the same page with the status of your relationship. That leads me to guess that you were probably arguing about something in your past, specifically the fact you were married before," Jacob stated with a tone of disbelief to his voice.

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "You read my file?" Jack asked.

"The non classified parts," Jacob replied.

Jack hung his head in dismay. "She asked me if I still loved her."

Jacob's eyes grew wide. There was no doubt in his mind who the 'her' was. "And what did you say," Jacob questioned.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Not a word Jake."

"How can Sam be mad at you for saying nothing then," Jacob asked.

"I don't know," Jack answered throwing his hands up and beginning to pace the small area behind his desk.

"What exactly did you say Jack?" Jacob asked again, now starting to become slightly angry.

"I told you-I didn't say anything. For what was probably the first time in my life, I actually thought about what I was going to say before I said anything. I looked away and back again and she was gone. I never said a word," Jack replied.

"How long were you thinking for Jack?" Jacob demanded.

Jack stopped his pacing and looked at Jacob. "Not that long if that's what you're thinking Jake!"

Jacob chuckled. "It must have been long enough for Sam to get tired of waiting and leave," he claimed.

Jack collapsed into his desk chair and groaned. "So you're telling me that thinking is what got me in trouble?"

"Doesn't it always?" Jacob retorted.

Jack permitted himself a small smile. "Most of the time it does," Jack agreed.

"So what did you decide to tell her that took you so long to think about?" Jacob asked.

Jack looked at Jacob and weighed his words before asking, "After your wife died, did you ever think that you would forget about her, even if you got remarried?"

Jacob looked at Jack, trying to figure out where this was going. "No," he replied instantly.

"Because she gave you two wonderful children, and even if you didn't have her, you had them, right?"

"Yes Jack, now where is this going," Jacob asked.

"That's how I feel about Sara. I'll always have a special place in my heart for Sara, and I will always love her a little bit because she gave me Charlie. And no one can replace either of them. But I'm not in love with Sara, in fact I'm well on my way to falling in love with Sam," Jack admitted sheepishly.

Jacob couldn't stop his jaw from hitting the floor. The man had admitted that he was falling for Jacob's daughter-after he had screwed up and made her cry. The man had guts, Jacob had to give him that.

"I suggest that you fix this right away Jack, before it gets any worse," Jacob suggested.

Jack glared at the man. "How am I supposed to fix things if Sam won't talk to me? She specifically asked me not to call her," Jack explained.

Jacob got an evil look in his eye. "She told you not to call her, but she didn't say that you couldn't go see her did she?"

"Oh," Jack said the realization of what he needed to do dawning on him. "So Jacob, how would you suggest I make things up to Sam?" he asked.

"That's for you to figure out Jack," Jacob replied as he got up and walked towards the door. He opened the door and stepped out, but before he shut it again said, "But you can't go wrong with flowers," he offered. With a full blown smile on his face, Jacob Carter went off to give a special lecture to the cadets, hoping that he had done the right thing for his daughter.

----

Jack was parked outside of Sam's house, sitting in his truck, and trying to pluck up the courage to go knock on the door. The fact that Sam's car was sitting outside told him that Sam was indeed home. A message from Jacob informed Jack that Jacob would be out that evening with General Hammond, offering Jack the perfect opportunity to talk with Sam.

Jack was so lost in thought that he never noticed Sam walking up to his truck, so he jumped when she knocked on the window.

"Are you going to sit here all night or are you going to come in so that I can listen to whatever it is you have to say before kicking you out?" Sam asked, obviously upset with Jack. She didn't give him the chance to respond, just stalked away towards her front door.

Jack rushed to follow, grabbing the flowers that were in the passenger seat. He quickly went after Sam, but she had already gone through the front door and into her living room. Jack calmly shut the front door behind him and went into the living room.

Sam was seated in her favorite chair, curled up under a blanket. "Just say whatever it is that you came to say and then you can leave," she demanded.

Jack held out the flowers he had brought to her. "These are for you," he offered.

Sam starred into his eyes, refusing to even look at the flowers.

"Okay," he continued, setting the flowers on the coffee table. Jack sat down in the couch and looked at Sam. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You came all the way over here to say that you're sorry? Do you even know what you're sorry for," Sam asked.

Rather than waiting for Jack to answer, Sam continued. "You don't know do you? Maybe you need to explain to me how you sat for over a half an hour. A half an hour Jack! And you couldn't even tell me if you still loved your ex-wife. That tells me everything I need to know, that you still do. I won't play second best and I refuse to be a replacement Jack. Now if you could find your way out, I'd really appreciate it," Sam said as she stomped from the room. Seconds later, Jack heard a door slam inside the house followed by someone opening the front door.

Jacob walked in to see Jack sitting alone in Sam's living room. Jacob gave him the once over and continued into the house, towards Sam's bedroom.

A few minutes later, Jacob emerged from the back of the house and looked at Jack.

"I'm not sure what you did or didn't do this time Colonel, but my little girl is angrier that I've ever seen her. I suggest that you leave and don't come back," Jacob ordered in his command tone.

"Yes sir," Jack said, standing to leave. "Could you tell her that I still want to be friends for me sir?"

"If looks could kill," Jack thought, "I'd be dead right now."

"Once she calms down," Jacob promised, leading the way to the front door, "In the meantime, I suggest that you don't do anything that would cause her any more pain or else I may see it fit to suggest that you are in need of a transfer elsewhere," Jacob reminded the man as he shut the door before Jack could say anything.

"Well that went well," Jack said as he returned to his truck.

----

When Jack saw Jacob again, it was the day before Jacob was scheduled to leave. Jacob had just finished giving a final lecture. Jacob followed Jack back to his office and again shut the door.

"Jack," Jacob began, "From the moment I met you, I knew there was 'something' between you and Sam. I wondered what kind of man you were-when you promised me you wouldn't hurt Sam, I took your word for it as a fellow officer. But you did hurt her Jack. I don't think you set out to do that," Jacob reassured him, "But most don't. Her time here finishes at the end of the semester and her expertise is being requested by the Pentagon. Until then I suggest you steer clear of her. She wanted you to have this," Jacob said handing Jack a sealed envelope.

The dejected expression on Jack's face was proof enough for Jacob to know that nothing would hurt Jack more than the words Jacob had just spoken. Jacob turned and walked to the door.

With his hand on the doorknob, Jacob looked back at Jack and said, "If you really care about her Jack, you'll let her go."

Jack looked up from where his face had been buried in his hands. "The whole if you love them enough you'll let her go and hope she'll love you enough to come back thing?" Jack asked.

"Something like that son," Jacob said as he left the room, hoping that his gut was wrong. Because it was telling him that Sam was making the biggest mistake of her life by pushing Jack away.

----

Jacob sat on the plane back to Washington thinking about the last conversation that had occurred between Sam and him two nights before, the conversation which had resulted in him giving that envelope to Jack.

//Flashback//

"Are you sure about requesting that transfer to the Pentagon?" Jacob asked.

Sam looked at him and glared, "Absolutely."

"I'm only asking because I don't want you to make a mistake," Jacob explained.

"How could a transfer to the Pentagon be a mistake," Sam demanded to know.

"You're running Sam, running away from Jack just like you did from Jonas. Jonas I can understand but Jack? I can't figure out what happened between the two of you. George and I had even bet on how long it would take for him to pop the question Sam and the next thing I know the two of you have broken up over some little misunderstanding," Jacob said.

"It wasn't just some little misunderstanding Dad! He was the one who is still in love with his ex-wife while he was dating me," Sam yelled at her dad before collapsing onto the couch in tears.

Gathering her in his arms, Jacob waited until her tears had subsided to ask, "Did he ever tell you that he still loved her?"

"No," Sam admitted, "But who takes a half an hour to tell his girlfriend that he doesn't love another woman?" Sam demanded.

"A man who is thinking with his head rather than his heart," Jacob offered. "Something that you do way too much of, I might add."

"What?"

"Thinking with your head when it comes to something like love. You can't rationalize it Sam. You can't help it if you fall in love with a man who still loves his ex-wife," claimed Jacob as he continued, thinking about the conversation Jack had had with him. "Just like I can't honestly say that if I got remarried that I wouldn't still have feelings for your mom."

Jacob starred intently at Sam, wanting to see if his words had any effect. Sure enough, Sam's eyes came up to meet his, so Jacob continued speaking. "I will always love your mom Sam and no one can ever replace the spot she holds in my heart."

"Is that why didn't you ever remarry?" Sam asked, curious as to what her dad was trying to say.

"No one I've met could ever measure up to your mom," he said wistfully. "But sometimes I think you have to meet someone else to find that perfect person for you."

"So you're saying Jack had to marry Sara before finding me," Sam asked.

"Maybe."

"Do you think it's too late for us to be anything more than friends?"

"It's never too late Sam," Jacob reassured her.

Sam stayed silent for so long that Jacob eventually went to bed, leaving her to her thoughts.

//End Flashback//

"You two are crazy about each other. Just put your pride aside and go talk to each other," Jacob whispered before he fell asleep.

----

Unfortunately, Sam didn't get a chance to have that talk. Instead, she was hurriedly packing a flight bag for her own trip and a larger suitcase for an extended stay in D.C. While she had been looking forward to spring break which started in just a few hours, someone in D.C. had other ideas. So instead of spending a worry free week with the Stargate, she was headed a week long field officer training camp and then onto the Pentagon. "I'll just have to get some leave and come back to pack the house," Sam thought.

She had been surprised when the orders had come from General Hammond.

//Flashback//

"Colonel Carter," George had said as he handed her an envelope which contained her new set of orders, "I received these this morning. You're going to be on a flight to Virginia to spend next week going through the field training that you requested and then you are to report to the Pentagon."

"Sir? I thought that request for field training had been denied," Sam said.

"I realize that Colonel, but the people in Washington must have changed their minds. It sounds to me like they have a reason to put your science skills to use in the field. I'm afraid that they've decided to move up your requested date for a transfer too," Hammond said, sad that Sam would be leaving.

"Yes sir," Sam replied accepting the order as she gathered her things in hurry so that she could go home and pack.

//End Flashback//

----

Sam arrived on the base and reported to Colonel Tom Jenkins, the officer in charge of the training program. "Sir," she said, "Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter reporting as ordered." Sam stood at attention and waited for the order of "at ease" which she soon received.

Jenkins gave Sam the normal formalities and instructions for briefing that would take place the following morning. He then instructed a Lieutenant to show Sam to the woman's barracks, because his officers would be spending only the first night on base. After that, they would be 'roughing it' out in the woods.

"It's all part of the experience Colonel Jenkins claims," Sam thought as she settled into her bed for the night, "But he's not the one on spring break!"

Nodding off to sleep, Sam's last thought was about a certain brown eyes, brown haired Colonel who she really needed to call. "We might not be able to save our relationship at this point," she admitted to herself, "But we may be able to salvage our friendship."

----

After Jacob had left, Jack had starred at the enveloped Jacob had placed on his desk. There was no writing on it, so Jack opened it and pulled out the contents. The two tickets for Singin' in the Rain fell onto his desk along with a folded sheet of paper. Jack opened the note and read.

_Jack-_

_I'm returning these tickets. _

_Don't blame yourself Jack, it wasn't just you. I don't think either of us was ready for this relationship. I think my relationship with Jonas was on my mind as much as our relationship because I didn't want it to turn out the same-and I still don't._

_Anyways, I'm giving these back and I hope that you can enjoy them. As I'm sure Dad told you, I'm transferring to the Pentagon at the end of the semester. Regardless of what happens between the two of us, I hope that we can patch up our differences enough that we could work together in the future, as I have come to really respect and enjoy working with Colonel O'Neill._

_If nothing else know this. Every man I date will have to measure up to you._

_Sam_

Jack looked at the letter in the hands, and heart broke again at the pain he had caused this woman. Sure, like Jacob had said, he hadn't intended to hurt Sam, but he had. His last conversation played over and over in his head, "I won't be second best," she had said.

Jack made his way home that night and picked up the phone to call Sam only to have it ring in his hand.

"O'Neill."

"Do you always answer your home phone like that Jack?" Kawalsky asked.

"Kawalsky! What are you doing calling me? Run out of phone numbers from all the girls at the bar," Jack joked.

"Nah. I actually figured you'd be out with your girlfriend. I planned on leaving a message and letting you know that Ferretti and I are both a-okay," Kawalsky claimed.

"Yeah Jack," a voice called in the background of the phone, "Just where is that girlfriend of yours?"

"Ferretti, glad to know that you've survived the last 3 months with this man," Jack said, attempting to avoid the question.

"Quit avoiding the question Jack," Kawalsky demanded.

"Um, she's not here right now," Jack explain.

"That's obvious Jack. So what did you do this time to piss her off?" Kawalsky prodded.

"According to her father, I thought too much," Jack acknowledged.

Laughter in the background ensued as Kawalsky repeated the statement to everyone present.

"How about the short version Jack, we're kinda short on time here," Kawalsky offered.

Jack proceeded to relay the short version of events to Kawalsky and Ferretti as they put the phone between the two of them.

"Well Jack, I'd say you screwed up big time," Kawalsky concluded.

"I already know that guys. How do I fix it," Jack questioned.

"Jack," Ferretti offered, "Neither of us has ever been married nor had a relationship that lasted longer than a few dates. I think you're on your own here buddy."

"Some friends you guys are," Jack grumbled.

"Jack," Kawalsky reassured, "The only thing I can say is don't tell her that you love her-because as mad as she is right now, she'll only think that you're saying it because you want her back."

"But whatever you do Jack, get her back. Nothing against Sara, but I can't imagine that she ever came close to what you have with Sam and I only spent a little bit of time watching the two of you," Ferretti claimed with Kawalsky agreeing in the background.

Jack could hear a voice in background saying "Time's up guys," which was soon replaced by Ferretti and Kawalsky repeating something similar and the three people soon wished each other good-byes and good lucks before hanging up the phone.

Jack looked at the clock and knew it was too late to try and call Sam. He would have to do it tomorrow, which was a good thing considering he didn't know what he was going to say yet.

Jack's plans of going to sleep were cut short though by a phone call. As the ringing of the phone woke him, Jack fumbled for the phone.

"O'Neill," Jack said sleepily.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill?" the voice asked.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"I'm Lieutenant Alex Williams calling for Colonel Tom Jenkins. It seems that the Colonel was expecting you to arrive for field officer training earlier today. You should have received your orders 24 hours ago to report," the voice explained.

"Never received them," Jack grunted.

"I'm sorry sir," the Lieutenant apologized, "There must have been a mistake somewhere. Still, Colonel Jenkins is requesting your presence for this field exercise. I can get you on the next flight out of Peterson, it's at 0300 hours. Is there any way that you can make that flight?"

Jack squinted at the clock. "Yeah, I can make it," Jack confirmed.

"Thank you sir. I'll inform Colonel Jenkins. He'll be happy to know you're coming," the Lieutenant replied as she relayed the rest of the flight information.

Jack pulled his tired body out of bed and began packing his flight bag for his week of spring break which now was going to involve him proving that he was ready for the field again.


	17. Chapter 17

When Jack stumbled off the plane at 0700 hours local time and was immediately pulled to Colonel Jenkins' office.

"Colonel O'Neill," the man said sarcastically, "Glad you could join us. You're just in time for our initial briefing before breakfast."

"I apologize Colonel, my orders got lost somewhere along the way. I'm here now though, and ready for whatever you have planned for me," Jack said, making an attempt at sincerity.

Jenkins seemed to accept his apology as he continued. "Good. Given your field experience, I'm putting you in command of Training team one, designated Alpha one. There are four teams total but, we'll go through that stuff in the initial briefing. The only other thing you need to know is that your second in command is a female Lieutenant Colonel that is seriously lacking in field experience. It's been a long time since she's been in the field, so I placed her with you, the most experienced field officer. I trust that you won't have any problems working with her?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," Jack confirmed.

----

Sam saw Colonel Jenkins enter the room followed by Colonel O'Neill, and Sam groaned to herself. She had just flown to a new base and she'll still managed to run into Jack O'Neill, who had yet to try and mend any bridges.

Yet Jack didn't even notice Sam as he took a seat in the empty front row and Colonel Jenkins began to address the room. After formally introducing himself, he got right down to business by first laying out the plans for the week-roughing it in tents, partaking in daily hikes with full equipment, and combat exercises that would make use of paintball guns and laser tag-like modifications as weaponry. While the announcement about the planned use of paintball guns brought a murmur from the officers, the next announcement from Jenkins caused slightly more upheaval.

"While each team will have a CO and 2IC, each member of the team will have the opportunity to command. Since this is command training, I expect that everyone will participate in the spirit of the exercise and follow orders, regardless of rank." The tone that Jenkins spoke in left no room for argument but he continued in a slightly lighter tone as he began giving team assignments.

"Before I give out team assignments, report back here at 1300 and be prepared to gather equipment and head out. Okay, Alpha one Colonel Jack O'Neill, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, Major Randy Austin, and Major James Cannon."

Neither Jack nor Sam heard much past the announcement of their own names. As their names were called, they had each stood up and their gazes had locked across the room. Eventually, Sam ducked her head trying to avoid Jack's eyes, only to look up and find him standing there.

"Carter," he said, "I'm surprised to see you here."

"You have no idea sir," Sam replied barely keeping her sarcasm in check.

"Sir," said the taller of the two approaching men, while the other said "Ma'am." They both offered salutes which Sam returned but Jack waved off.

"None of that stuff unless there's someone else around that requires it. It's great off the battlefield, but on it, it can give away information like who the leader is without you meaning it," Jack insisted as the two men looked slightly scared at Jack's outburst. "And for cryin' out loud, at ease you two!"

The two men visibly relaxed and even permitted themselves small smiles.

"Lead the way to the mess Carter, I'm in need of some food before we do anything else today," Jack declared as he motioned for Sam to lead the way. He didn't even look back to see if his two Majors were following, but knew they were by the sound of their feet.

The team's arrival in the mess hall involved Jack making a beeline for the dessert cart, where he, out of habit, picked up two cups of Jell-O, one red and one blue. He didn't even notice until he sat down next to Sam at the table she had claimed for them.

"I was going to call you last night," Jack said quietly, "But Ferretti and Kawalsky called and by the time I had gotten rid of them it was too late."

While Sam had first been distant when Jack had started speaking, she perked up when he mentioned Ferretti and Kawalsky. "And how are my two favorite Majors doing?" she asked just as the other two members of their team sat down.

The taller of the two broke into a smirk and joked, "Why Colonel Carter, while I love the sentiment, I'm a married man."

Sam giggled and Jack snorted, shaking his head at the man's sense of humor, already liking the man's sense of humor.

"I don't think she was referring to you," Jack finally managed to get out once the laughter had settled down.

"Are you sure sir?" the other man questioned, "Because Randy is every girl's dream guy."

More laughter ensued.

"Well I'm not every girl," Sam promised.

Jack made a point of looking at her, and looking her up and down, "Definitely not," he declared which resulted in Sam swatting him playfully on the arm while the two Majors looked on with their own smiles.

"While I am so sorry to disappoint the two of you," Sam said, trying to bring the conversation back to work, "But I the two Majors I was asking about were mutual friends of mine and the Colonel's, Majors Ferretti and Kawalsky. Perhaps you've met them?" she questioned.

The two Majors shook their heads in the negative.

"I've had the pleasure of working with them a couple of times and they are both very good at their jobs, and are very much okay. Giving Hank a hard time, but otherwise okay," Jack reassured Sam while also discretely offering up his first expectation for his team.

Sam gave a visible sigh of relief at the good news while the other two nodded, always happy to hear that fellow officers were okay.

"Anyways, as you've probably figured out I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill and this is Colonel Samantha Carter a.k.a. Sam. You must be Randy," Jack said indicating the taller of the two Majors, "making you James," he finished indicating the other man.

"Yes sir," the both said at the same time.

"Now what do I need to know about each of you that will help the team survive this next week of training," Jack requested looking at Randy to start.

"Major Randy Austin demolitions and explosives expert. I've been out of the field for a year after something blew up too close to me and gave me some serious burns, but I got to see my first child born, because of it, so things aren't as awful as they sound," the man said smiling as he mentioned his child.

"What's his name?" Sam asked.

"Eric. Eric James Austin," Randy said proudly.

"Good name," Jack said approvingly.

This is the point that James jumped into the conversation. "Of course it's a good name, especially the middle name! James is a name that should strike fear into the heart of the enemy!"

Snorts of amusement came from the other occupants of the table.

"You're right, the name James Cannon strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies," Randy began, "And then you speak and they realize that you're just an oversized teddy bear."

The snorts from before now became full out laughter from everyone, even James joined in after shooting a glare in Randy's direction.

"Okay, now that we know all about your teddy bear-like qualities, how about the skills you have?" Jack requested.

"Umm, pretty much the same as Randy, except I've been out in the field on and off during the past year, mostly off though. I got my promotion to Major right after the last trip, so I'm here with him now to make sure that we are capable of commanding a team together," James explained.

"Carter?" Jack asked, looking at her to offer up her own story.

"It's been several years since I've been in the field," Sam admitted. "And this is probably the closest I'll come. I'm here purely out of my own desires. About a year ago I was passed over for a spot on a team that made use of a project I spent two years working on because I didn't have enough field qualifications. I'm not letting that happen again," reaffirmed Sam, "So I got my hand-to-hand combat skills up, put in my hours on the range, and requested time in field training."

"So what have you been doing that's kept you from the field?" questioned Randy.

"Classified," Sam answered.

"She's a scientist," Jack added as the two Majors said "Oh," nodding their heads as if everything made sense now.

Before Sam could say anything else, Jack spoke again. "I've done classified field work for several years. I got out at the beginning of this school year with the intent to retire, only to be pushed into an ROTC teaching position, and then ordered here to participate."

At the words "classified field work" the two Major's eyes had grown wider before returning to their normal size.

"Anyways," Jack stated, "It sounds to me like we'll be okay with whatever they throw at us this week. I figure you two know each other pretty well, and Carter and I have worked together a little bit over the past six months so we have an idea of how each other operates. Unless any of you have an objection, I think that's how I'll split the team up for exercises unless the scenario calls for something else."

Receiving no objections Jack continued speaking. "Also, if memory serves me from the past training camps, I'm going to suggest 2-two man tents for sleeping purposes with one person on watch at all times. And if I were you, I would enjoy this food because it's probably the last of the real stuff we'll see until the end of the week," Jack finished.

"Sir?" questioned James, "Not to sound like a guy here but, which one of us will be sharing a tent with Colonel Carter?"

Sam jumped in to answer before Jack could this time, "Colonel O'Neill and I will be sharing a tent. I trust neither of you has a problem sharing with the other?"

"No ma'am," the two Majors said at the exact same time Jack said "Yes."

Sam turned her gaze to Jack who had to fight the urge to squirm. "What? Cam told me that you snore."

Randy and James snorted, looking at Sam to see how she would respond.

Sure enough, she blushed slightly before saying, "Not while on missions sir."

"In that case, I think we'll be fine then Carter," Jack claimed with the start of a smile on his face.

----

Five days later Sam was tired, wet, muddy, and on watch. All she wanted was a hot shower. Instead she was getting a cup of hot coffee and praying that Colonel Jenkins would see fit to call an end to the outdoor training exercises. It had rained all week long, leaving the ground saturated to the point that Sam couldn't remember the last time her feet were dry, despite going through multiple pairs of socks. Overall, she knew that this was a beneficial week for her, even if she felt like she was floundering.

Sam was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Jack approach until he dropped next to her, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Quit thinking," Jack said quietly.

"I'm not," Sam insisted, knowing that she had been caught.

"Right."

"Okay, so I was, but you're not the one who's about to finish at the bottom of the class for the first time in her life," Sam complained.

"Oh you won't be at the bottom," Jack reassured her, "You haven't gotten your teammates killed yet like that guy on team 3 has-every time."

"But I'll still be towards the bottom," Sam explained, "I've never been anything but one of the best."

"You have the potential to be one of the best Carter, you just need to practice at it. You don't have the experience in the field like most of these guys who have spent the better part of their careers there. Cut yourself some slack," Jack ordered.

"But you don't," Sam countered.

"You're right," Jack admitted, "But I've done this kind of thing a few times now. My first time didn't go that well. Kinda looked like your first attempt at command."

//Flashback//

"Get down!" Sam screamed as she threw herself to the ground.

It was too late though, already a spot of blue appeared on Randy's uniform, indicating he had been hit and was now 'dead'. Thirty seconds later, it was all over. Her team was surrounded with now way out and her first stint as a commander was over.

All Sam could think was that if this had been real, she would have just gotten her entire team killed.

//End Flashback//

Sam groaned. "You don't need to remind me Colonel."

"You did one thing right though," Jack said.

"What do you mean? I got the entire team killed!"

"Not really. Randy died, the rest of us would have just become POWs," Jack reminded her.

"That's not that much of an improvement sir," Sam said, unconvinced of Jack's logic.

"At least we would have been alive. You've been an officer long enough to know that you have to pick your battles Carter. There are some times when you need to accept what has happened and begin looking for another way out. As long as you are alive you can do that, dead and you're no help to anyone," Jack claimed.

"You managed to get us through the exercises without getting killed though. And your scenarios were much more difficult," Sam said.

"They were," Jack admitted, "But then I've already seen and had an attempt at commanding the rest of the scenarios. You'll do fine in the field."

"In the field, but not in command," Sam said, disgusted with herself.

"Yes," Jack said, "But you'll most likely be assigned as a second to someone, like me, who has had experience in the field. Within a year you'll be ready for your own command-in the field."

"They'll never put me in the field. I may get to command my own team of scientist sitting in a tent, but not with a gun on the frontlines," Sam claimed.

"Depends on what the brass needs you for. Kinda like how I ended up teaching ROTC. The brass wanted me for Iraq, but knew that I most likely wouldn't pass the psych evaluation so they sent me somewhere they could keep an eye on me until I was ready again. Being here means that someone must think I'm ready for the field again," Jack offered.

"Well sir," Randy said as he came to sit down next to Jack, "I'd say you're ready for the field again if your actions this week say anything."

"Yes sir. I can't imagine you not getting pushed back into the field after someone reports you evaluation after this week," James reinforced as he took a seat next to Sam.

Jack looked slightly embarrassed at the compliments. "Thanks guys, but I've been doing this a lot longer than you guys. This stuff is easy for me."

"Doesn't matter Jack," a voice said from behind them, "You've been darn near perfect this week."

"Jenkins" Jack said as the man came to stand close to their fire, "What can we do for you?"

"Pack up your stuff. We're going to call it quits after this next scenario," Jenkins claimed.

Sighs of relief and smiles of gratitude greeted the man.

"Best news I've heard all week sir," Sam said, almost dreaming of a hot shower and being clean again.

"I had to call in an old CO to come out and complete the evals but even I'm getting tired of being wet and muddy," Jenkins admitted with a small smile on his face. "Colonel Carter will be in command. You'll need full packs and combat gear, minus guns for this scenario," Jenkins commanded, "Teams complete the scenario in the order that they arrive," he added, "And you guys are my last stop and farthest from the coordinates. I'll see you there."

The four teammates traded glances and instantly ignored their commander who walked away.

"Well Carter, looks like you get one more shot at things," Jack said as he began to take their tent down. The four teammates made quick work of packing up all their supplies and distributing them between the four packs.

----

Two hours later, and Alpha team had arrived at the field where the last scenario was scheduled to be played out. The team's view of the field was blocked by a tall brick wall so that they were unable to see what was happening on the other side despite hearing an occasional noise.

Sam reported their arrival to a Lieutenant who relayed via radio their arrival to Colonel Jenkins.

Fifteen minutes later, Jenkins appeared with a rolled up map in hand along with a few other pieces of paper. "You're the last team to go. This is your objective. According to intelligence, this man," he said, pulling a picture from a folder and showing it to the team, "Is being held in this building," he claimed pointing out a building on the map, "Your objective it to get to him and get him out safely. Like the other exercises, you'll be watched from the tower and Colonel Carter is in command. This exercise will make use of Good luck." With that, Jenkins walked away, taking everything but the map with him.

Sam looked at Jack, trying to see if he was going to offer any suggestions. But his face lacked any expression, so Sam sighed and started, "This is how I think we should do this…"


	18. Chapter 18

There were three possibly entrances to the field where the 'compound' had been setup and Sam had decided to make use of the 'explosion specialists' as Randy and James had nicknamed themselves earlier in the week. The two had rigged up a small device that could be detonated by remote. Sam and Jack were going to plant the device at one entrance and at the designated time, blow it up. Sam hoped that there would be enough of a distraction that her team could then sneak into the compound undetected though the other two entrances.

Sam's plan worked like a charm-right up until the point that she threw open the door while Jack covered her to reveal an empty building. An empty building where their hostage was supposed to be.

"Shit," Jack said looking at the empty room, "He's not here."

"Of course he's not," whispered a voice from behind them, "He was in one of the buildings we passed and was able to make enough noise to get our attention."

Sam and Jack had whipped around to look at the voice that had just spoken. Confirming it was indeed Randy, Sam nodded and motioned for Jack to take the lead while she watched their six.

They crept as covertly as possible to the designated extraction point, avoiding all the 'guards'. They had made it through the fence when the clapping began.

The whole team did an about face to find several of the other team leaders and Colonel Jenkins clapping and cheering on the observation tower. "Colonel Carter," Jenkins called, "I've never seen that particular tactic used in this exercise."

"Whatever works sir," Sam offered.

Jenkins accepted explanation with a nod, "Gather your men and head for the trucks for transport back to base. General Carter informed me that you are all in need of a hot shower."

At the name General Carter, Sam's eyes had begun a scan of the faces on the tower, but couldn't find her father.

"You won't see him Carter," Jack said softly as he came to stand next to Sam, "As soon as he realized you were on the team, he would have excused himself from the evaluation. You'll probably be able to see him back at the base."

"Why would he excuse himself from the eval?"

"Because he's your father and he doesn't want anyone to think that he's had a hand in your career. He wouldn't want anyone to think that he gave you undue praise and so he wouldn't have been willing to be your evaluator, same as the way I won't be giving you an eval this week," Jack explained.

"You won't?"

"No, I won't. The first chance I got, I walked up to Jenkins and told him that I wouldn't be a fair evaluator for you. I'll make a couple of suggestions for his evaluation, but my name won't appear anywhere other than to say we worked together this week. I don't want something that I write this week to come back to haunt you for future promotions especially if we can fix this thing between us," Jack claimed.

"So you think there is some way we could fix it?" Sam asked.

"I hope so," Jack admitted, "And at this point I'm willing to do whatever it takes to fix it."

"My transfer to the Pentagon came through," Sam blurted out, "effective immediately."

"So?"

"Are you two coming?" James yelled from up ahead, next to the trucks.

Jack and Sam looked at each other and broke into a jog, both knowing that this conversation would have to be resumed at a later time.

----

Over two hours later, Jack found Sam sitting with Major General Jacob Carter in the mess hall. Grabbing a tray, he filled it with as many hot foods and desserts as he could find, and then took the seat next to Jacob, figuring that their other two teammates would feel uncomfortable sitting next to the man.

"General," Jack greeted Jacob with a smile on his face.

"Jack," Jacob returned.

"What ya doin' here Jacob?" Jack asked

"Jenkins called me last night and begged me to come down and do this evaluation for him. Said he was tired of being wet and muddy and wanted to leave a day early, so here I am," Jacob explained.

"And for that I owe you one, I don't think I could have taken much more of the whining," Jack admitted.

"Sir, we did not whine," Randy objected as he sat on one side of Sam and James took a seat on her other side, both with trays full of hot food.

"At least not any more than you did sir," James said.

Sam and Jacob exchanged knowing smiles.

"You four did very well today," Jacob complimented the group. "Just whose idea was it to use the explosion as a diversion?"

"Mine. But James and Randy were the ones who built the device and found the hostage," Sam was quick to add as she attempted to take the attention away from herself.

"Where did you learn something like that?" Jacob wondered.

"One of Ferretti's stories," Jack guessed, receiving a nod of confirmation from Sam that he was right.

Jacob shook his head in mock disbelief. "Your friends have the worst influence on my daughter Jack. Before she met you, she never would have thought about blowing something up for the heck of it. Taking it apart, yes, but not blowing it up."

Laughter rang out around the table as even Sam gave up trying to glare at her father and joined in.

"Anyways, you guys did really well today and I just wanted to say good job," Jacob said as he rose to his feet and looked at Sam. "Could I talk to you for a few minutes Sam?"

Sam quickly followed her father out the door.

"So that man is Colonel Carter's father?" Randy asked.

"Yes," Jack confirmed.

"Huh," James said, "They aren't like most military family relations."

"No they're not," Jack agreed as he dug into his pie.

----

Leaving the mess hall, Jacob and Sam walked towards the parking lot.

"So George said you're transferring," Jacob stated.

"Yeah."

Realizing Sam wasn't going to elaborate, Jacob tried another question. "What's going on with you and Jack now?"

Sam looked at her father. "I'm not sure. We still need to work a lot of things out and I'm moving across the country, so I'm not sure where things are headed," Sam admitted, "But he said he'd do anything to fix things, so I guess we'll just have to see."

"Good for the both of you," Jacob said. Arriving at his car her turned and gave Sam a hug. "Just listen to the man Sam, he's got as much, if not more pain in his past as you. But he loves you," Jacob insisted.

At the word 'love' Sam had stiffened and pulled back to look at her father. "Jack told you that he loves me?" Sam questioned in disbelief.

"No," Jacob reassured her, "But I can tell. Don't forget to call me now that we'll be living in the same town."

Jacob got in his car and drove away, leaving Sam to watch his fading taillights, lost in thought.

----

Sam returned to the mess hall to find the rest of her team still there, all with cups of coffee in their hands. Jack had even gotten her a cup, prepared just the way she liked it.

"So you're the daughter of a Major General ma'am," Randy stated, "That must have been interesting growing up. I had a hard enough time meeting my wife's parents-and neither of them could have killed me with a glance!"

Sam chuckled, "My dad scared away every one of my potential boyfriends except two. The first one Dad didn't like anyway and I eventually broke up with."

"What about the second one?" James asked intent on learning more about Sam's background.

It took all of Sam's will-power not to glance at Jack. "Dad seemed to like him. We had a rather large disagreement and I pushed him away. When I get the chance, I'm going to give him a call and hopefully we can work things out between the two of us."

"Whoever he is, he's a lucky guy," Jack claimed with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah Colonel he's a very lucky man. Let me be the first to say that if things don't work out, you can call me and I'd be happy to be your rebound guy," James joked.

Laughing and joking team enjoyed each other's company in a respectful manner until Randy begged off.

"As much as I hate to do this Colonels, I think I'm going to go home and surprise my wife. I want to spend some time with my family before we ship out in a month and I know that the closer we get, the less of that there will be. It's been an honor serving with both of you," Randy claimed as he stood and offered a crisp salute to both Colonels. James did the same as both Colonels rose to their feet and simultaneously returned salutes.

"Best of luck to both of you," Sam offered as the two Majors smiled and walked out of the mess.

"So" Jack and Sam both said at the same time, which caused Sam to giggle.

"No giggling Colonel," Jack ordered with a straight face and a smile in his eyes.

"Yes sir," Sam returned. "Sir, I respectfully request permission to join you for an evening meal off base where I can discuss some items of a personal nature with you."

"Permission granted Carter," Jack responded with a grin on his face, grateful that Sam wanted to discuss things, and trusted him enough to do it off base.

----

Sam and Jack sat in the back of a diner in silence.

"So your transfer to the Pentagon finally came though," Jack mentioned casually, like they were discussing the scores of the latest hockey game.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"I meant what I said Sam. I'll do whatever it takes to give this, to give us a chance," Jack repeated his earlier offer.

"You say that Jack, but what does it mean," Sam questioned.

"It means I'll put in a request for a transfer to the base here in Virginia since I can't see myself at the Pentagon. If it gets denied, I'll retire. All you have to do is tell me that there is something between us still, something that could be more," Jack explained.

"Why would you do that? Sam questioned, refusing to just answer Jack's request.

"Because I have regrets for so many of the things that I haven't done that this time, I want to regret something I've actually done. If I transfer or retire and things don't work out, I won't regret it one bit," Jack promised.

"You won't?"

"Okay, I will," Jack admitted, "I'll regret that things didn't work out, but there's no way that I could ever regret having taken that chance Sam. And I would never blame you for a decision that I made Sam, if that's what you're thinking about."

"I wasn't," Sam responded a little too quickly, knowing that Jack knew her well enough to know that she had been.

Jack just gave her a knowing smile. "Whatever you say Carter. I just want you to know that this is up to you, whatever you decide, I'll be okay with. I'm on an early flight back to Colorado, so I just want you to have this," he claimed laying an envelope that was slightly larger and heavier than the one she had prepared for him over a week before on the table. "I hope that what I've written explains some things because I know I'm not good with words. Whatever you want will be okay with me. All I ask is that you read it," Jack requested as he got up from the table, placed some money to cover his coffee on it, and left the diner without looking back.

Realizing that she didn't want to read Jack's letter in the back of the diner, Sam followed Jack's example and left some money on the table, picked up the letter, and went out into the night, towards the base and her quarters where she would have some privacy to read the letter.

----

Once safely inside her private quarters, Sam opened the hefty letter and pulled out a whole sheaf of papers, all looking like they had been torn from a notebook. "Probably the one that he's been writing in all week," Sam realized, thinking about how frequently Jack had been writing during their free time.

The pages were spotted in place and had words scratched out, even whole sections, it seemed as Sam glanced through the several sheets of paper there.

_Dear Sam,_

_I know that I suck when it comes to all that talking and emotions and stuff, so I hope that this letter can explain just what I wanted to tell you ever since we had our big fight._

_Sara. Sara was my wife, the love of my life for 10 years, and was way too good for me. I didn't deserve her but having Sara and Charlie in my life was the best thing that ever happened to me._

_No matter what happens, I will always love Sara. She kept me alive and gave me a reason to live. Most importantly, she gave me Charlie Sam, and no one can ever replace the spot that the two of them have in my heart._

_But that doesn't mean I'm still in love with Sara, because I'm not. I still love her but not with the same depth that I did the day we said our 'I do's'. Charlie was the glue that held us together for the past few years and I can honestly tell you that even if she called me up tomorrow and begged me to come back, I wouldn't do that-to either of us._

_You see Sam, I've found someone who is better than Sara, and after meeting this woman I can see what was missing from our marriage. And I've found that thing with you Sam. I don't even know how to describe it other than to say that you understand things-you don't need words to know what I'm thinking most of the time, you can read my thoughts. I hope you don't see me as the perfect man, because I'm not. I think you're smarter than that though, smart enough to know that I have my imperfections and there are a lot of them, and a lot of them are dark and classified. I can't talk about some of them and that bothered Sara. _

_So far I don't think it's bothered you, because you've never asked about it and I appreciate that Sam, more than you could ever understand. Or maybe you do know. Your past has it's own set of secrets a few of which you've shared with me. That amount of trust that you placed in me surprised me, and I hope that I responded in kind._

_If there's any chance that we can salvage something out of this 'thing' between us, whether that's being friends, or something more-I'll do whatever it takes. I love Colorado Springs, but this week I realized that if I had to pick Colorado or you, Sam wins every time. I just want you to know that._

_Retirement and transfers are both options. If you think that either of those are just because of you, you're wrong. I wanted to retire after my last mission and the Air Force wouldn't let me go. If that's what I have to do to pursue a relationship with you, I'll sign my papers yesterday. _

_There's something else you need to know, or at least realize. I'm good at what I do, but that doesn't mean I'm well liked. I've burned some bridges, and just involving yourself with me as a friend, let alone dating me could hurt your chance for promotion. You have the chance to go far Sam and I don't want to be the reason that you fail to do so. If we do anything, I want you to go into this with your eyes wide open. There can't be any surprises about what kind of man I am._

_Regardless of what happens between us, I want you to know that you'll always have a special place in my heart. You've shown me that there is so much out there for me to live for and I thank you for that._

_I don't know if I ever told you, but I was close to killing myself before my last mission Sam. But I'm not now, and part of that reason is you. I can't tell you what happened, but all you need to know is that I met some amazing people and getting to know you only reinforced the fact that there are some wonderful people on this planet. Thank you for giving me a chance to know you Sam, that means a lot to me._

_I know that your relationship with Jonas didn't end on a good note. I'm guessing there is more to the story than what you told me, but I'll never ask-the important thing to me is that you realize that not every guy is like Jonas and that we can at least be respectful towards each other, which more than I can say for you and Jonas._

_I'm already missing you Sam, and I wish you nothing more than the best,_

_Jack_

_P.S. Give me a call if you need help packing or moving out of your house in Colorado._

Sam starred at the letter, especially the ending. He missed her, yet he left everything sitting in her hands-to the point that he had offered to retire to attempt a relationship with her. Not many women could say that their husbands were willing to do that, let alone a _potential_ boyfriend. Yet Sam noticed one thing. "He never said he loved me anywhere in that letter," she thought and discovered that she was slightly disappointed that he hadn't. Though, she admitted to herself that if Jack had, she would have called him up in a second and told him that yes, she wanted to pursue a relationship with him, without even thinking about things first.

But she glad she was going to have the chance to think things over, especially how she was going to respond to his offer of transferring or retiring. But that would have to be in the morning. Right now she was going to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

The pounding on the door of her quarters was what woke Sam the following morning. Sam pulled the door open and said a demanding "What!" to the person outside.

Slightly taken back by the Colonel's tone of voice and her disheveled appearance, the young lieutenant looked at the floor and said, "Sorry ma'am but I was told to find Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter and inform her that she needed to report to General Taylor's office ASAP. I'm to escort her there. Are you Colonel Carter?"

"Yes. Give me five minutes," Sam replied before slamming the door shut in the lieutenant's face.

The lieutenant spoke through the door, "Ma'am, I'm supposed to tell you to dress in BDUs rather than your dress uniform." The young man hoped that the Colonel had heard him, and judging by the banging and crashing going on inside, she had.

Less than five minutes later, the door swung open to reveal a perfectly groomed Colonel Carter dressed in BDUs. The Lieutenant spun on his heels and led the way to General Taylor's office. Once there, the General's secretary nodded to Colonel Carter and said "He's expecting you."

Sam walked inside and shut the door behind her, wondering what General Taylor could possibly want with her.

When she emerged 15 minutes later, Sam made a beeline for quarters and pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she got to the one she wanted and hit 'send'. Then she pulled out her flight bag and began tossing essential into it while she waited for someone to pickup, but he never did so she just left a message.

"Hey dad, it's me. Look I don't' have a lot of time so I'm just going to tell you what I can. I'm on the next plane to Iraq for something extremely classified. I'm not even sure exactly what I'll be doing, not that I can tell you anyways. I just want you to know that I love you dad. Oh-and could you give Jack a call and have him clean out my fridge and stuff. Tell him, tell him that I miss him too and that I'll call him as soon as I can. I have to go Dad. I'll call you as soon as I can."

Sam took one last look at her quarters, making sure that she hadn't left anything behind and closed the door. It would be two months until she had the chance to open it again.

The same Lieutenant that had woke her up that morning escorted her to a waiting plane where she was handed a large folder filled with documents and shown a seat. Even before takeoff, Sam was engrossed in her reading.

----

Jack picked up his phone later that night hoping that it was Carter calling to talk to him, only to find out it was the wrong Carter.

"O'Neill."

"Jack, it's Jacob."

"Jacob? What are you calling me for?" Jack asked.

"Sam called me," Jacob explained. "She's on her way to Iraq right now and asked me to do a couple of things for her, one of which was call you."

"Okay. Was there anything specific that you were supposed to do when you called me," Jack hedged.

"Yeah."

"Want to tell me what it was?" Jack asked a slightly annoyed tone.

"Sure," Jacob said dragging out the word, just because he knew it would annoy the younger man. "She wants you to clean out her fridge."

"Clean out her fridge," Jack repeated in disbelief.

"Yep, and she said to tell you that she 'missed you too'. I figure you know what that means," Jacob said.

"Yeah," Jack replied, quieter now, trying to figure out if there was a hidden message in those words. "I know exactly what she means."

----

The next two months were the hardest two months of Jack's life. Suddenly, he knew exactly how Sara must have felt when he went off for parts unknown, never knowing when or even if he would make it back.

Now Jack waited for a call from Sam, and lived for the occasional calls from Jacob which always said the same thing. Jacob hadn't heard from Sam and knew nothing more than before. Jack did the only thing he could-he threw himself into his work. He spent extra time with the cadets. Offered special Saturday hand-to-hand combat training classes for any of the cadets who wanted to come, completed his hated paperwork on time, even if he always held onto it a little bit longer just so people would think that he was really as busy as he claimed. And Jack took to examining the stars, studying them, learning everything about them that he could so that when Sam came home, he could tell her all about them.

At least that was what he kept telling himself. Sam was coming home safe and sound to him, even though he really had no clue. They hadn't talked about things and all Jack could hope was that Sam would make it back to him.

Graduation for the cadets had come and gone and now it was mid-May. Jack was dutifully filling out the last of his paperwork in preparation for the transfer and deployment to Iraq that he was sure to come. The only interruption to his daily routine came from a call on his cell phone from Ferretti who informed him that his team was now stateside. "Mission accomplished" he had proudly proclaimed and he had promised to drag Kawalsky out to see Jack the first time they got leave.

----

Several hours later, Jack O'Neill's door bell rang.

"Man that was fast," he said as he opened the door to reveal, not the pizza boy as he expected, but a teary eyed, slightly smiling Samantha Carter.

"Sam," Jack whispered as Sam's few tears turned into full waterworks and she threw herself at Jack, nearly knocking him to the ground.

Jack held her in his arms and sighed in relief. Sam was safe, that was all that mattered. Jack didn't know how long the two of them stayed like that, only that they broke apart when the real pizza boy cleared his throat. Slightly embarrassed, Sam had quickly pulled away from Jack, but watched his every move like a hawk, almost as if she was scared he would try to take off.

Once the delivery boy had been paid, Jack with pizza in hand, pulled Sam into his living room. In silence the two of them ate, until Jack asked "Are you okay?"

Sam looked at him with a darkness to her eyes that hadn't been there before. "I don't know," she honestly admitted, the first words she had spoken since showing up on his doorstep.

"Want to talk about it?" Jack asked.

Sam just shook her head no, not able to voice her own words.

Jack realized that Sam would talk in her own time, much like him, and for now the only thing he could do was be there for her, so he did the one thing that he could. He grabbed a blanket, two jackets, and two mugs of coffee and led the way to the roof where the sun was just setting.

They sat there and just watched the sky change color for quite some time. Every so often Sam would scoot just a little closer to Jack until finally, they were touching. Carefully, so not as to startle her, Jack moved his arm up around her shoulder, trying to pull her closer to him. Sam flinched at the contact. She turned her head to look at Jack's face, attempting to read what his intentions were. Whatever she saw must have been good enough for her, as she relaxed into his side, letting his arm pull her closer to him.

Finally, unable to take the silence any longer, Sam spoke.

"You've met Jonas, my ex-fiancé and you probably have figured out that he was in the same line of work as you, black-ops. When I first met you, I thought you were a lot like him. Good looking, charming, and a very private person. You aren't him though, you're so much better Jack," Sam said.

Jack noticed the pauses and the hesitant way in which Sam had spoken, and wisely chose to remain silent, allowing her to continue.

"Dad never liked him, and tried to convince me to break things off with him. That only made me want to like him more, made me miss the flaws that I would have caught otherwise. Jonas was great, at the beginning. Then, he had a couple of bad missions in a row. I don't know what happened; just that he was different after that. At that point, we were already engaged, so I just saw it as a phase he was going through and was determined to stick things out. But he went from being the sweet, charming man that I knew to making demands of me, demands that I refused."

"First, it was just not wanting me to go out with my girlfriends when he was in town, then it was when he was out of town. Next, he wanted me to move in with him, which I refused. The last straw though was the night he came to my apartment, drunk, and forced his way in. He made demands of me, because he said I was 'his woman'. When I refused, he knocked me out. Luckily, he made so much noise that the neighbors called the police. By the time they showed up he was gone, and I was in no condition to talk, still passed out on the floor."

"I ended up with a concussion but didn't press charges, claiming it was a one time occurrence. I put in for a transfer to Colorado Springs and gave him back the ring. Two days later, I was in the gym when two MPs entered and pulled him off of a Captain he was supposed to teaching hand-to-hand combat to because some guy was pressing charges after receiving injuries in a bar fight the night before."

"You aren't him Jack, but you remind me of him so much that it scares me, especially after this past couple of months," Sam finished, barely keeping her composure.

"I can't promise you that I will never hit you Sam," Jack said honestly, "But if, and I stress this, if I ever do I want you to do whatever it takes for you to get away from me. I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel safe," Jack promised.

"Jonas said the same thing," Sam claimed, "But I've never felt anything but safe with you Jack, so I'm not worried about it. Looking back now, Jonas scared me a little bit from the moment I met him, and despite him promising to never push me for more than I was ready for, he did. I told him that there was no way I was sleeping with him until after I was married. Less than a month later, he asked me to marry him. The more I think about it, the more I realize that his proposal was more about sleeping with me than because he really wanted to marry me."

Internally, Jack groaned. This Jonas had been a real piece of work, one that had really hurt Sam and if Jack wanted any chance at making things right, he was going to have to show Sam that she could trust him and that he was nothing like Jonas. Yet he was floored that Sam was willing to share this with him, but before he could think about what he was saying, he blurted out "Why are you telling me this?"

Before Sam could respond, Jack instantly realized he had stuck his foot in his mouth again. "I'm sorry, it's not that I don't like that you feel comfortable to share this with me, but why now. You've never really said much about Jonas before and I was okay with that," Jack said as he looked at Sam and suddenly it dawned on him. "Unless something happened on that classified mission…" Jack left off looking at Sam.

The expression on Sam's face told him that he had hit the nail on the head. Something had happened and now he just had to let her tell him about it.

"He was there," Sam said quietly. "And while he never did anything obvious, he kept giving me looks that I didn't like. It was never enough for me to really say anything, because it wasn't like I could go to my CO and say 'I don't like how Major Hanson is looking at me, could you please keep him away from me'. It bothered me more than anything else."

"But he didn't _do _anything right?"

"Not to me," Sam responded, "But he did get into it with someone, not for the first time, I'm guessing and our CO had him hauled off to the brig for a court martial. If the rumors are true, he'll either get a discharge or a demotion. And before you ask, I can't tell you any more than that."

"Are you okay?" Jack asked as he pulled her just a little bit closer to him.

Sam ducked her head and leaned it against Jack's chest. "As long as you're here for me I will be."

"Always Sam, always," Jack promised. And then it dawned on him. "Does this mean we're friends again?"

"I was thinking something more," Sam responded with a hint of a smile on her face, "If that's okay with you

"That would be the best news I've had in months," Jack whispered as Sam snuggled a little bit closer to him and Jack pulled the blanket a little bit tighter around them.

Knowing that she had nothing to worry about, Sam drifted off to sleep safe and happy in Jack's arms.

----

Sam looked so content and comfortable wrapped up in his arms that Jack really didn't want to move, but his body said otherwise.

"Sam," Jack whispered, "Come on Sam, wake-up, my butt is falling asleep here." Jack lightly shook Sam, rubbing her back at the same time, trying to gently wake her up so that he didn't get a startled soldier reaction.

Unfortunately, the reaction Jack was trying to prevent was exactly what he got as Sam bolted away from Jack and leapt to her feet.

"Don't touch me!" Sam screamed at Jack.

Jack wanted to so bad to just stand up and touch her, but he refused this urge and stayed seated, attempting to look as non-threatening as possible. "I won't do anything unless you say so," Jack promised.

"Oh Jack," Sam said, putting her hand over her heart as though just realizing who was there. "You scared me. I'm not used to waking up that close to another person," she explained.

"Its fine Sam," Jack reassured her in the same voice he would have used with Charlie. "Next time I'll just make sure that you find your way to your own bed before I let you fall asleep on me," Jack weakly joked.

Sam cracked a smile and offered Jack a hand up. "That would probably be a good idea," Sam claimed. When Jack stood up, Sam did the only thing that she could to reassure him that she was comfortable with him. She wrapped her arms around him and refused to let lessen her grip until he wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Sam whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Jack whispered back, "I did the same thing to Sara several times, except she usually ended up pinned to the ground."

Sam chuckled, "Well at least I didn't do that."

"No you didn't. How long can you stay for?" Jack asked.

Sam lifted her face from where it had been resting against Jack's chest and pulled back just a little so that she could look into his eyes. "Not as long as I'd like," Sam confirmed. "I'm on a plane back to D.C. for permanent reassignment in the labs tomorrow." Looking at her watch though she corrected her statement, "Actually, more like today."

"Oh."

"But," Sam said brightening a little, "That's not until late in the evening, so how about I go home, get some sleep, and we meet up for a late lunch tomorrow?"

Jack considered his words very carefully before he offered, "How about you stay here-in the spare bedroom," he quickly added seeing the expression on Sam's face, "and then I cook us a late breakfast before I take you out for a much awaited, uninterrupted date."

Sam looked at the hopeful expression on Jack's face and captured Jack's lips with her own. When she pulled back she smiled and said "That sounds wonderful."

Jack smiled and headed for the ladder off of the roof, listening as Sam's steps indicated that she was following him off the roof.

When they reached the bottom, Jack grabbed Sam's hand. Together the two of them walked around to where Sam's car was parked. Sam pulled out a small flight bag and then let Jack lead her into his house. He showed her the spare bathroom and where the spare room was.

Leaving Sam with a smile and a kiss, he whispered "Good-night" before retreating to his own room and shutting the door behind him. Jack collapsed onto his king size bed with a huge smile on his face, already writing his retirement letter in his head and planning his move to Washington D.C.

----

AN: There is a poll running on my profile page so that readers can vote on how long this story should continue for. Please vote!


	20. Chapter 20

When Sam woke up all too soon, she walked downstairs to find Jack already up and cooking breakfast.

Almost as if he knew she was in the room, Jack turned around and said "Good morning."

Sam took a seat at one of the stools and started to return his greeting, only one of the sheets of paper on the counter caught her attention.

_To Whom It May Concern, _she read, _it is my wish to officially tender my resignation from the United States Air Force effective immediately._

At that point, Sam quit reading and looked up to see Jack watching her. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"Retiring? Because it's time. I have a cabin with a lake in Minnesota that's calling my name. I don't want to go back to Iraq and that's where I'm headed if I stay. And I'd rather take this chance with you than put this 'thing' off and make you wait, not knowing if I'm going to come back," Jack explained.

Sam looked at him in disbelief as he continued speaking.

"When you left for Iraq, I finally found out what things must have been like for Sara. I was scared that something was going to happen to you out there and the only thing I was going to get was a phone call from your dad telling me that you weren't coming back. Now that I know what that feels like, I won't do that to you-I can't do that to you."

"So you're just going to throw away your career for a chance at 'something more' with me?"

"No," Jack insisted as he put a plate of food in front of Sam, "I'm leaving the Air Force because I got a better offer. A beautiful, smart woman sounds so much better to me then trekking through the desert with a full pack and being worried about when someone is going to pop out and try to kill you. I don't want to do that anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Jack responded with a bit more confidence than he really felt. "Now eat, I believe I owe you a date and I have the perfect location in mind."

----

Jack refused to tell Sam exactly where they were going, instead, just insisting that she would like it. One quick trip to her house and a change of clothes later put Sam and Jack in front of an old movie theater.

"Jack!" Sam squealed, "I can't believe you remembered!"

Jack just smiled at the woman on his arm. "I figure that I needed to do something special so that you won't forget that I can be the hopeless romantic while you're gone."

Sam stopped walking, forcing Jack to also stop. "I won't forget Jack," Sam assured him, "But taking me to see Singin' in the Rain at the movie theater is an added bonus to a date with my boyfriend."

The grin that appear on Jack's face at the word 'boyfriend' was worth the loss of sleep that taking a later flight was going to cost her, Sam decided.

It was dark outside when Sam stood waiting for Jack to show up. After the movie, Jack had dropped Sam off at her house so that she could finish packing anything that she absolutely needed for a couple of weeks in D.C. They had already made plans that in two weeks, Sam would come back to Colorado and together with Jack, would finish packing up her house. Before he left, Jack had promised that he would meet her at Peterson before her flight left to say good-bye.

Jack went to his office in the ROTC building and faxed off his retirement request to Peterson. Knowing that he had plenty of time, Jack started signing the forms on his desk, waiting for the call that he knew was coming.

And sure enough the phone rang.

"O'Neill."

"Colonel Jonathan O'Neill?" a voice questioned.

"Yes."

"Please hold for the General."

Seconds later another voice came on the line. "Colonel O'Neill! What the hell are you thinking? You are scheduled to deploy to Iraq at the beginning of July with your old team, and you pick now to retire? For personal reasons! What are you thinking? Never mind-don't answer that-you obviously aren't so I'll give you this opportunity to withdraw this letter."

"Not going to happen sir," Jack answered, injecting more confidence into his voice than what he actually felt.

"You realize that you are giving up your chance at becoming a General? A few more years and you would be a Brigadier General," the General reminded him.

"I have no desire to be a general," Jack claimed.

"What if I offered you a transfer? Name your base," the General offered, starting to get worried that this Colonel wasn't breaking under pressure.

Jack was silent for a few seconds as he contemplated this new offer. It was everything he could want, a transfer to a base of his choice-he could be near Sam and not really feel like he was adding pressure to their relationship by retiring for her. Still, if he agreed to stay, who was going to stop the Air Force from transferring him somewhere else at the drop of a hat? No, he had to get out before someone put that stop-loss hold on his file again. "No thank you sir. I'll just take my retirement and be on my way," Jack explained, "There's a cabin in Minnesota with some fish that are waiting for me."

"You're sure O'Neill? Once I process these, you won't be able to take them back and just un-retire at the drop of a hat," the General again reminded him.

"Absolutely sure, sir."

"Then I'll give you a week to finish up any paperwork you have left and to prepare your staff for the upcoming change. As of 1800 hours this coming Friday, consider yourself retired Colonel. I'll have my aide send along the rest of the paperwork you need to complete," the General finished.

"Thank you sir," Jack said but all he got in response was a dial tone.

Jack smiled. One week and his retirement from the Air Force would be official. Already, Jack was wondering how he should break the news to Sam. Sam! Jack looked at the clock and realized that he was late, really late, and was probably going to miss seeing Sam before she left. Grabbing his keys and his cell phone he ran from his office to his truck already, dialing Sam's cell number.

"Carter."

"Hey. Umm, I got held up at the office, and there is no way I'm going to make it before you have to leave," Jack explained, already feeling like he was letting her down.

"Oh."

"Call me when you get there?" Jack requested, knowing that if she agreed he was partially forgiven.

"I will," Sam promised, though she let her disappoint in him fill her with those two words.

All Jack heard was a dial tone as Sam hung up on him.

Sighing, Jack drove home and turned his computer on, surfing the internet for phone numbers for florists in D.C., figuring that since he couldn't apologize in person, flowers were the next best thing. Then, he realized that he didn't know where Sam was living. So he called the only person who might know.

"Carter residence."

"Jacob," Jack greeted the man, "I need a favor. I want to send Sam something but I don't have her address and I figured that you would, could you give it to me?"

"I don't know where she's living now Jack, and I don't think she'll tell me," Jacob confided in Jack.

"Why not?"

"We had an argument about her following her dream and applying to NASA again. That's the reason she went into the Air Force in the first place you know. I pretty much told her that she got into the Air Force to go into space, not spend her life starring at a computer in some lab. Our conversation turned to into a screaming match from there and she hung up on me," Jacob explained sounding slightly miffed, yet proud that his daughter had the guts to hang up on him.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Jack and Jacob quickly said their good-byes and for the third time that night, Jack listened to a dial tone after he finished a phone call.

Jack sighed and flipped on the TV, determined now to be awake when Sam called since he had to apologize and make sure that she was okay after the revelation that she had fought with her dad, again.

----

Sam dragged herself into her D.C. apartment and collapsed on the couch, exhausted. Remembering that she needed to call Jack yet, she dug out her cell phone and scrolled though the numbers until she found his.

"O'Neill," Jack answered sounding just as tired as Sam felt.

"Hey," Sam replied.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time, resulting in Sam and Jack sharing a short laugh.

"You can go first," Jack insisted.

"Well thank you for being such a gentleman about it," Sam replied sarcastically.

"That's me, always the gentleman," Jack responded with an equal measure of sarcasm.

"You are a gentleman," Sam insisted. "You've always treated me with respect and been nothing but honest with me. You're willing to give up your career for me and I got upset because you missed seeing me off. I should have trusted you enough to know that if you weren't there, something important must have kept you. I'm sorry I got angry and didn't let you explain."

"I was on the phone with the General about my retirement," Jack explained, "That's why I didn't call and missed seeing you off. I'm sorry for not being there though. I could have waited to fax in my papers but I wanted it done before either of us changed our minds."

"Are you having second thoughts?" Sam asked, feeling fear creep into her heart.

"Never," Jack insisted.

"Good," Sam said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You actually thought I might change my mind? Sam, I love you. What I feel for you goes way deeper than what I have ever felt for anyone else. Never doubt that," Jack promised, and suddenly realized that he had used the 'l-word'. He held his breath waiting to see how Sam would react.

But the only thing he could hear was silence.

"You love me," Sam whispered repeating Jack's words, shocked that Jack would use the 'l-word' to express his feelings. She found tears rolling down her cheeks.

Jack strained his ears and caught what sounded like sniffles coming from the other end of the phone. Jack mentally slapped himself for using the 'l-word' when obviously Sam's feelings for him didn't match his own. "Forget I said that," Jack insisted.

"Did you mean it?" Sam demanded.

"Well yeah. I don't go around telling every woman that I meet that I love them for cryin' out loud!" Jack exclaimed.

"Then why would I want to forget you said it?" Sam questioned.

"Because I made you cry," Jack stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Jack," Sam said in a tone that she would use with a small child, "Not all tears are sad tears, sometimes a person cries because they're happy."

"So you're crying because you're happy," Jack stated, really hoping that this was the case.

"Yes Jack."

"Oh. So it's okay that I told you I love you?" Jack asked, looking for confirmation.

"It's fine Jack."

"And if I tell you I love you again, will you start crying again?" Jack asked.

"Probably not. It was just a thing caused by shock."

"Sweet. I'm not good with dealing with crying women," Jack confided.

Sam chuckled. "Really? I never would have guessed based on your reaction," she claimed sarcastically.

"Hey! I can't help that I'm just a stupid man who is incapable of dealing with crying women," Jack said.

"You are anything but stupid Colonel Jack O'Neill because I do not fall in love with stupid men," Sam promised.

Now it was Sam's turn to wait for a reaction.

Sam could hear the smile in Jack's voice when he asked, "I don't have to cry to let you know how happy that makes me, do I?"

"No," Sam laughed back.

"Good cause I don't do that whole crying when you're happy thing," Jack joked.

"I think I cried enough for the both of us," Sam offered.

"Promise me that you'll try not to cry unless I'm there to wipe away your tears," Jack requested.

"I promise."

"I love you Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter," Jack said again.

"And I love you Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill."

"Soon to be ex-Colonel."

"So they approved your retirement," Sam questioned.

"Yes," Jack confirmed. "As of 1800 hours of Friday I will no longer be a Colonel in the United States Air Force."

"Will you miss it?"

"Yeah, I will," Jack admitted, "But I think getting to date a beautiful blonde is a good enough reason to get out."

"How is this going to work Jack?"

"How is what going to work?" Jack questioned.

"How are we going to have a relationship when we live on opposite sides of the country?" Sam asked.

"Will you quit being such a pessimist Sam! These things will work themselves out," Jack declared.

"So what you're just going to live in Colorado Springs and I'm going to work in D.C. and we'll see each other on weekends a one a month if we're lucky?"

"I don't know," Jack responded honestly.

"See that won't work for me Jack. I'm a scientist, I don't deal with uncertainty very well," Sam claimed.

"I am guy, uncertainty works well for us," Jack replied with a touch of humor in his voice.

Sam huffed but there was no way she could be mad at Jack, he was just being his usual self. "Jack," she said, dragging out the word.

"Sam," Jack responded in the same manner. "I'm not sure how we'll deal with the distance but for the time being, let's wait until we see each other so that we can discuss it in person. That should give us some to get some perspective on what we want."

"Do you really need time 'to get some perspective'," Sam asked, "Or do you already know what you want?"

"I know what I want, but I'd rather discuss it face to face than over the phone," Jack explained.

"Oh."

For the first time since Jack O'Neill had met Samantha Carter, he had found a way to get her quiet-ask her to think about her future.


	21. Chapter 21

It was 2300 hours on Friday and Jack had officially been retired for 5 whole hours. His staff had wanted to throw him a retirement party, but Jack had begged off, claiming that he had other plans. While no one had said anything, Lt. Maria Smith had gotten a suspecting smile on her face, like she knew her CO was off to see his girlfriend, even if he didn't admit it.

Despite this, Jack was now one elevator ride away from seeing his girlfriend. Surprising Sam was quickly becoming a habit, one that Jack greatly enjoyed and hoped to do for a long time into the future.

And the best part of it all was that Sam didn't know he was coming-again.

Earlier in the week, Jack had weaseled her address out of her on the premise of forwarding her mail to her when he actually wanted to have flowers delivered to her. The next day, Sam had called him after receiving a dozen red and white roses. Hearing the appreciation in her voice was enough for Jack to go hunting for a plane ticket to D.C.

Jack O'Neill had three goals for this trip. One, spend some quality time with his girlfriend. Two, convince Sam that the new apartment she was hunting for needed to have a guest room. And three, go alone for a man-to-man talk with Jacob Carter. In Jack's mind, the larger the number, the more difficult the task would be.

Jack checked the address and apartment number on the piece of paper on his hand, tucked it in his pocket, and knocked on the door.

----

Sam wondered who would be knocking on her door. No one knew that she lived here, so she checked who it was through the peep hole then threw the door opened and leapt into a surprised Jack O'Neill's arms. Before he could say anything Sam's lips had covered his lips and Jack was lost to everything but having Sam there with him.

When lack of air forced them apart, Jack caught his breath and looked at Sam. "So I'm guessing I can surprise you like this any time I want?" he questioned with a large smile on his face.

Sam pulled him inside her apartment and shut the door before answering. "Anytime you want," she confirmed.

They ended up sharing the Chinese food that Sam had ordered earlier when Sam asked the question "So what are you doing here?"

Jack looked at her and tried the macho approach. "Can't a guy surprise his girlfriend without there having to be an alterative motive?"

Sam just stared at him.

"Okay, I missed you," Jack admitted.

"That wasn't so hard now was it," Sam joked. "And for a reward, you can spend the night on the couch if you want," she offered.

Jack smiled, and then his face turned serious. "Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything."

"That's why you're sleeping on the couch," Sam said confidently as she began to gather up the dishes and head for the small kitchen. In fact, Jack noted, her whole apartment was small to the point that his living room probably would have fit into it.

"So what were you planning on doing this weekend?" Jack asked as he put his own dishes in the sink and picked up a towel to dry the ones Sam had finished washing.

"Apartment hunting," Sam declared, "Something bigger but still close to the Pentagon."

"With two bedrooms," Jack suggested.

Sam placed the last dish in the drying rack and turned to look at Jack. "I think we need to talk," she said grabbing two cups of coffee and leading the way out of the kitchen, back to the living room.

Sam sat in the chair and let Jack have the couch, handing him one of the cups of coffee.

They sat in silence until Sam asked "Where is this going Jack?"

"Honestly? I know where I want this to go, but you get a say in it Sam. _We_ get to decide where this goes and how fast we get there," Jack said.

"No Jack. Where is this going? Am I supposed to hop a plane to Colorado Springs one a month to see you and you're going to do the same to D.C.?" Sam asked.

"Actually, I'm planning to spend some time in Minnesota. My cabin is there with a lake full of fish this big," Jack said as he spread his arms apart to indicate an unnaturally big fish, smiling the whole time.

Sam looked at him and just shook her head, knowing that he was lying about how big the fish were. But she didn't call him on it. "So I fly to Minnesota instead of Colorado?"

Now Jack looked a little concerned. He really didn't know what to say, hadn't thought this far in advance. He knew what the future held, but the near future? He was clueless. A plan began to form in his mind, an incomplete plan but still, he blurted out "Are you selling your house in Colorado?"

Sam got a slightly confused expression on her face as she looked at Jack. "I was planning on putting it on the market after I packed everything up next weekend."

"Good."

Now Sam was even more confused. "What?"

"Say I sold my house in Colorado, would that be okay with you?" Jack asked.

"It's your house Jack. If you want to sell it you can," Sam insisted, wondering why Jack wanted to check with her before selling his house.

"So if I were to sell my house and leave Colorado Springs, you wouldn't have a problem with it," Jack pushed.

"No, but I never imagined you leaving Colorado once you retired," Sam admitted.

"Why? It's not like I have anything tying me there. No real good friends or anything," Jack commented.

Sam looked at Jack and wondered if Jack had just forgotten or if he was trying to do this for her benefit. "Charlie," Sam said quietly and waited for the reaction she expected to come; only it didn't.

Yes, a look of pain did cross his face, but there wasn't the anger or the darkness that Sam had come to associate with Jack when his son was mentioned.

"Charlie will always be my son," Jack finally said, "I just hope that there comes a day when thinking about him doesn't hurt, and maybe when that day comes I'll be ready to move back there. But right now, it hurts, it hurts a lot," Jack admitted.

"Are you running away?" Sam asked gently.

Jack's head shot up and he took on an air of defiance. "No," he insisted which to Sam, meant that he was even if he wouldn't admit it to himself.

"Okay," Sam said, willing to accept this-for now. "So you're selling your house in Colorado Springs and moving to Minnesota. I'm selling my house and moving to D.C. and somehow, in all of this we are going to have a cross-country relationship."

"Something like that," Jack claimed, "But that relationship could be made a little easier if you were willing to have an apartment with an extra bedroom so that I could stay with you whenever I wanted to visit and the same would go for you visiting me in Minnesota."

"So you'll just drop in and visit any time that you want and I'll come to Minnesota on my downtime," Sam asked almost in disbelief that their relationship was dissolving into visits when Jack had said he was going to retire for a chance at a relationship.

Jack could see the anger bubbling under the surface of Sam's skin. "No," Jack insisted, "The only time I want to be in Minnesota is when you get sick of me being here. And of course when I take you on a vacation up there."

Sam blinked and stared at Jack. He was acting like it was a given that she would let him live with her, even if he did request his own bedroom. Jonas had wanted her to move in with him and Sam had declined, not wanting to take things to that level. She was sure that in Jack's mind, living with her would lead to sleeping with her, and she was adamant that that would not be happening until they were married. The idea of being married to Jack O'Neill had filled her dreams since she had read Jack's letter before leaving for Iraq. It had become her favorite piece of reading material while she was in Iraq and it was now quite crumpled from the constant reading. "While I want to marry Jack," Sam thought, "I don't think he's that serious about things."

"Sam?" Jack asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Sam's eyes shot to Jack. "I need to think about some things Jack, let's finish this discussion in the morning," she said as she fled for her bedroom and quickly shut the door.

Jack was at odds with himself. He had thought their conversation was going somewhere. Thoughts of marriage had taken over Jack's mind lately, and he knew that before he even mentioned that to Sam, some other things needed to be taken care of. Like the whole living arrangements, especially if she thought that he was retiring only to have a cross-country relationship. If them living together, albeit it separate bedrooms, was bothering her, Jack knew he would be willing to rent his own apartment.

Jack also knew that he couldn't let Sam go to sleep without telling her one more time how much she meant to him, so he got up and knocked on her bedroom door.

"Come in," Sam called.

Jack opened the door and took in the room. The moonlight and streetlights cast a small patch of light across the room, and Sam's hair sparked with the effect as she lay in bed. Jack approached the bed and carefully set on the edge, watching Sam the entire time to make sure that she didn't show any discomfort at his being there.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he finally said, "By suggesting that we practically live together. I'll get my own apartment if that would make you feel better."

"It's not that Jack. It's a big step, one that I didn't take with Jonas when he asked, several times, I might add. I don't know where this 'thing' is headed and if we're living together, I guess I want to think about everything from all the angles," Sam responded.

"I understand," Jack claimed. "Just don't hurt that pretty little head of yours by over thinking things. Sometimes, you just have to let things happen." Jack stood up and leaned down to plant a kiss on Sam's lips before whispering "I love you," and leaving Sam to her own thoughts.

Jack crawled into bed, knowing that he needed to talk with Jacob Carter soon. A visit to the jewelry store was looking more and more necessary especially if Sam wanted to know where this was headed. Jack had no doubts that a marriage proposal was in the cards, it was just a question of when and where would be the right time to pop the question. But that was for Jack to figure out later, as he dropped off to sleep, dreaming of a beautiful blonde walking towards him in a white dress.

----

It was almost noon on Saturday when Jack and Sam got out of bed and had breakfast. Breakfast was a quiet affair until Jack brought up the one subject that he knew was bothering Sam.

"I don't want you to feel pressured into finding a two bedroom apartment if that's not what you want Sam," Jack said.

"And I don't want you to sell your house in Colorado Springs if you aren't sure that you won't want to go back there some day. Rent it out instead," Sam suggested.

Jack considered Sam suggestion and nodded his head. "That's a good idea," Jack said, almost sounding shocked.

"Well I am your genius girlfriend, I happen to have good ideas every so often," Sam contended. "I'm just surprised that you came up with the idea for a two bedroom apartment."

"So you're okay with me living with you when I'm in D.C.?" Jack asked, trying to keep his face from showing the sense of hope that he felt.

"It makes sense," Sam admitted. "I love you and I trust that you don't have any ulterior motives. I can't say the same for some of my previous boyfriends."

"So your bedroom is totally off limits?" Jack pouted. "I can live with that."

Jack and Sam both smiled and sealed the deal with a kiss.

They had spent the majority of the day looking at apartments before eventually settling on one that came fully furnished with two bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms, a large living room, and a decent size kitchen. It even had a balcony, much to Sam's delight. Sam had signed the lease right away and the two of them had spent Sunday moving the few items that Sam had in her Air Force furnished apartment to their new apartment. The best part of the weekend had come Sunday afternoon when they snuggled together on the couch and watched a marathon of Simpson's shows, must to Jack's pleasure.

----

Jack knocked on the door of Jacob Carter's house, having taken a cab to get there after Sam had left for work. When Sam had asked about his plans for the day, Jack had been appropriately vague about looking up some old buddies. He wasn't sure that he had convinced her, but she had pressed the issue.

The door to the house swung open to reveal a scowling Jacob Carter. The scowl quickly changed to a smile when Jacob recognized the man on the doorstep.

"Jack O'Neill, what brings you to Washington?" Jacob asked as he gave the man a hug.

"Sam," Jack answered simply.

"Oh," Jacob said. "Then why are you here?" he questioned.

"Can I come in?" Jack asked, not really wanting to have this discussion take place on Jacob's front porch.

"Sure," Jacob said, holding the door open so Jack could enter before him. "Beer?" Jacob asked as he pulled one for himself out of the fridge.

"Yeah," Jack said as his hands fidgets with a pen he had found on the kitchen counter.

"How about we sit out on the deck," Jacob suggested.

Jack shrugged his shoulders and followed Jacob out to the deck with a beer in his hand, figuring it would be a lot easier to escape Jacob's wrath if he had plenty of room to run and Jacob had no gun within easy reach.

"If you came to talk some sense into me, it's not going to happen Jack," Jacob claimed.

"I'm not," Jack promised.

"And Sam might already be mad at me, but I won't be telling any stories about when she was a little girl so that you can embarrass her. You'll have to find another source for those," Jacob reminded him.

"I'm not here for that either," Jack promised.

"Then why are you here?" Jacob demanded.

"Can't a guy stop by to see his girlfriend's dad without having a reason?" Jack objected.

"No."

"Oh," Jack said as he resumed fiddling, this time with his bottle cap.

"So you wanna tell me why you're here?" Jacob prodded.

"I need to talk to you," Jack offered, "about Sam."

"Uh-hu."

"I want to marry her," Jack blurted out.

Jacob thought Jack was joking until he saw the nervous, yet serious expression on Jack's face. "You want to marry _my_ daughter?" Jacob clarified.

"Yes sir," Jack responded.

"You two have known each other for how long a year?" Jacob asked.

"Less than a year," Jack corrected.

"And you've been dating since Christmas," Jacob continued.

"Yes," Jack confirmed.

"Since then you've had at least one big fight where you barely talked to each other for a month and then had another two months where you were apart because Sam was in Iraq. So over the last five plus months that you've been dating, you two have actually had a relationship for maybe two of those. And in those two months you've gotten to know Sam well enough that you want to marry her," Jacob ranted.

Jack considered what Jacob had said, and then nodded his head, "Pretty much."

"How in the world will you guys have a marriage with you living in Colorado Springs and Sam here in the D.C.?" Jacob questioned.

"I retired," Jack explained.

"Does Sam know this?" Jacob questioned.

"Of course. We talked about it first."

"And she was okay with it?" Jacob asked in disbelief

"Not really," Jack admitted, "But I convinced her that it was what I really wanted."

"Was it?"

"It was. I'm too old to be in the field much longer and no desire to sit behind a desk. I have too many things going against me so I'll never make general. It was just time for me to retire Jake," Jack explained.

"So what are you going to do with all your free time now?" Jacob asked, ignoring Jack's use of the nickname 'Jake' which irritated him to no end.

"I've got a cabin in Minnesota that I want to put good use," Jack began, "And I have had several offers to work part-time with some of the ground troops that are going into Iraq. Basically, I can do whatever I want."

"Why do you want to marry Sam?" Jacob finally asked.

Jack took a deep breath and looked Jacob in the eye. "I love Sam. She's a scientist and a soldier, yet she somehow finds the ability to still be a woman, one that I can't imagine living without. What I feel for Sam goes deeper than anything I've ever felt before and I want to make it perfectly clear to her just how much she means to me."

"So buy her a dozen roses and take her out to dinner," Jacob said with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"I have," Jack said, barely managing to keep his anger in check.

"Holy Hannah Jack! You've known Sam for less than a year, barely dated, and hardly spent any time actually speaking to each other and you come to me and tell me that you want to marry my daughter. Do you expect me to slap you on the back and tell you to go for it? You've been married before and that didn't work out. How do you know that what broke up your first marriage won't end this one?" Jacob demanded.

"It won't," Jack answered confidently, knowing that he was going to have to give Jacob more than his word for him to believe it.

"You're going to have to give me more than that Jack."

Jack sighed and collected his thoughts before he began to speak. "I was never home to see my family. Black-ops kept me away most of the time and our marriage was going down the drain. Sara and I both knew it, but then I came home from a mission and she told me she was pregnant. It was the scariest and happiest moment of my life the day Charlie was born. Charlie held our marriage together, and then I did the stupidest thing I have ever done. I left my sidearm where Charlie could get to it. That was the worst day of my life. Sara wanted a divorce and I gave it to her. I signed the papers and got sent on a mission that I wasn't supposed to survive, but I did. I met some great people that changed my outlook on life. It was too late to save my marriage, but I was lucky enough to meet Sam. Sara was important to me, but we never had the connection that I have with Sam. I swear to you Jacob that I will never leave a gun anywhere that a child can get to it again," Jack finished, and finally stole a glance at Jacob.

Jacob's face was a picture of the perfect military mask as he contemplated the words Jack had just spoken. Jacob acknowledged that Jack had just spilled his guts, handing Jacob more than enough ammunition to shoot him down with. Jacob's mind processed everything that Jack had just told him and asked just one question, "Does Sam know all of this?"

Jack's head shot up from where he had been starring at his fingers as he fiddled with the label on his bottle of beer. "Yes, Sam knows," Jack confirmed.

"And despite all of this, she still wants to date you?"

Jack gave a small smile. "Hard to believe isn't it? After everything I've done, I find this unbelievable woman who loves me. I don't understand it Jacob, but I know that she makes me happy, really happy and I hope that I make her happy enough that she'll marry me."

Jacob couldn't believe the honesty that Jack was giving him. This wasn't the sarcastic, yet funny Colonel O'Neill that he had talked to several times before, nor was it the worried boyfriend that had called him at least once a week for two months straight asking if he had heard from Sam. This was Jack O'Neill, the man that his daughter loved, of that he had no doubt.

So Jacob stood up, walked over to Jack, and starred him down. "If you break her heart Jack, I will never forgive you," he declared.

Jack locked his eyes with Jacob's and promised, "My number one goal right now is making Samantha Carter as happy as possible, no matter what it may cost me."

Jacob held out his hand and said, "If you can convince her to marry you, you have my blessing Jack."

Jack broke out into a huge grin and shook Jacob's hand before he asked, "So, does this mean I can call you Dad now?"

----


	22. Chapter 22

Jack had almost skipped away from Jacob's house, feeling relieved that Jacob had offered his blessing. He wasn't sure how much Jacob's opinion would matter to Sam but, it mattered to him. Jacob Carter was a man that Jack respected, even if he wasn't Sam's father, but the fact that he was made Jack want to do the right thing. And to him, that meant asking a father for his daughter's hand in marriage. Now, all he needed to do was buy a ring and figure out the best way to 'pop the question'.

Internally, Jack groaned. The easiest part was over, now came the hard part-keeping the secret from Sam.

----

Sam walked in the door of her new apartment to something that smelled good. "I'm home," she called and was happy to see Jack come out of the kitchen with a large smile on his face. He gave Sam a huge hug, wrapping her up in his arms before placing a kiss on her lips.

"Welcome home," Jack said as he pulled back.

"And what a good home it is," Sam said. "Did you make dinner?"

"Yousurebetcha," Jack said with a smile. "Spaghetti, garlic bread, and a salad."

"That sounds great. Let me go change clothes and I'll help you," Sam offered.

That night, Sam and Jack enjoyed a home cooked meal and a very important conversation.

"I've been offered a part-time job working with some of the guys that will be going to Iraq. I haven't decided if I'm going to take it yet," Jack claimed.

"Why not?"

"I wanted to see what you thought before I decided anything," Jack claimed.

Sam set her fork down and looked at Jack. "Why do you keep asking me about stuff that's really your decision Jack?"

"Because I love you and I want you to have a say in this. I have the option to turn this down, something that I really couldn't do when I was married to Sara, and I know that it bothered her when I couldn't say no. Now that I can, I want to make sure that you are okay with it. I want you to have an equal say in the decisions that will affect our relationship," Jack explained.

Sam was happy that Jack acknowledged her as an equal, not just an object like Jonas had. "Do you want to take it?"

Jack didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah, I would. I could save a lot of lives with what I know."

"Then take it," Sam suggested.

"You sure?"

If Sam had been holding anything, she probably would have thrown it at Jack at this point. "Jack," she stated as calmly as possible, "I'm very glad that you want my opinion on this stuff, but you don't have to worry about stepping on my toes or hurting my feelings. Just because we're dating doesn't mean that you have to consult me on everything."

"Okay," Jack accepted, "As long as when I do something wrong, you let me know so I can fix it."

"Agreed," Sam said with a smile.

----

Over the next couple of days, Jack officially informed Colonel Tom Jenkins that he would be willing to work with small groups of special-ops and black-ops people headed to Iraq-starting the following week.

He also went ring shopping, and succeeded in finding the perfect ring for Sam. He knew that she didn't wear a lot of jewelry, so the ring he purchased had a small diamond with two blue stones on either side inset in the ring. Jack felt that the ring was perfect for Sam because she could wear it in her lab and not have to worry about it getting caught on something, and at the same time, it wasn't so big that she couldn't wear it on her dog tags if she wanted.

So on Thursday morning, Jack hopped a plane back to Colorado Springs. Sam gave him a kiss at the gate and promised that nothing short of a world takeover would keep her from being on her plane the following afternoon.

Jack arrived home, and went to work. He cleaned his house, made reservations at the nicest restaurant in Colorado Springs, and went shopping.

When Jack met Sam's plane at Peterson on Friday evening, he wasn't sure which one of them was more excited to see the other, but he was happy to see her, even if nerves were starting to get the best of him. Saturday night was a long way away for him.

Friday night and Saturday morning were spent packing up much of Sam's house and then moving anything that Sam didn't want or need shipped to D.C. into Jack's house.

Jack's behavior was starting to worry Sam though. He had seemed distracted all day, and it had just gotten worse the more time they spent together until Sam couldn't take it any more.

"Jack," she finally said, "Do you want to be here?"

Jack turned to look at her with a very confused expression on his face. "Of course I do," he claimed, "Why do you think I wouldn't?"

"You've just been distracted since I've been here," she observed.

"I've just got a lot on my mind," Jack claimed. Sam gave him a look which said she didn't quite believe him, but let it drop anyways. "Scouts honor Sam," Jack promised.

Sam just smiled and returned to packing another box.

Eventually, Jack left Sam to deal with the realtor, reminding her that he would pick her up at 1900 hours. Despite Sam's repeated questioning, Jack had refused to give out any details about where they were going that night, only that she needed to dress up, to which she had asked "How much?"

Jack had smiled and threw the words "I'm wearing a suit," over his shoulder as he went out the door to make his own preparations for the evening.

----

At 1850, Jack pulled his truck up outside of Sam's house and wiped his sweaty hands off on his pants before grabbing the single red rose from where it was laying on the passenger seat. Jack rang the doorbell, and when no one answered, opened the unlocked door himself, calling out "Sam," as he did so.

"I'll be out in a minute," she called from her bedroom.

Sure enough a couple minutes later, Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter emerged from her bedroom in the most beautiful green dress Jack had ever seen. While she had looked amazing at the party in D.C., she looked even better tonight. The dress had spaghetti straps which crossed across a mostly open back. Yet the dress was mostly long, but had a rather high slit, falling above the knee. Wearing two inch high heels, Jack could not believe how great Sam looked as the dress hugged every curve and showed off Sam's incredibly long legs. "Wow," he finally managed to spit out, "You look amazing."

"You don't look too bad yourself," Sam claimed as she took in the suit and tie that Jack O'Neill was wearing. The man seemed to have a perpetual tan, and the white shirt he was wearing just seemed to set this off. Coupled with a black jacket and tie, Jack looked every bit the handsome man that Sam knew was hiding under the sarcastic layer that he projected.

Jack handed Sam the single rose as he dropped a kiss on her cheek and offered her his arm as they headed out for, what he hoped, would be a memorable night.

----

Jack had chosen the fanciest restaurant in Colorado Springs, and when they pulled up, Sam rewarded Jack's choice with a huge smile.

Once they were seated, Sam looked at Jack and said, "You don't have to spoil me you know. I'd be perfectly happy if we had gone to the movies or something."

Jack gave a small smile, "I know but I wanted to make tonight special." Hurriedly, he added, "You know, 'cause I don't get to take my girlfriend out on a date very often."

Sam's eyes twinkled, "So you just want to take me out and show me off?" she asked.

Jack attempt to look innocent as he answered "Maybe."

Sam chuckled and held Jack's hand across the table as they exchanged small talk until their food arrived. Eventually, the waiter delivered the check and Jack paid the bill. Sam looked longingly at the dance floor and glanced at Jack.

Jack smiled before offering Sam his arm. "Just a few dances, then we have to go somewhere else tonight," he offered.

"Where?" Sam asked.

Jack just signaled that his lips were sealed, to which Sam huffed, but smiled before permitting Jack to lead her to the dance floor.

When the band took a break, Jack and Sam took the opportunity to slip out the door. When they got to his truck, Jack opened the passenger door and pulled out a blindfold.

"May I?" he asked before tying the blindfold securely around Sam's eyes.

"Jack?" Sam questioned.

"Just trust me Sam," Jack pleaded.

"I do," Sam said as she allowed Jack to help her into the truck, fasten her seatbelt, and shut the door.

Jack crawled into the driver's side of the truck and drove towards his house, purposely taking a different route so that Sam wouldn't be able to figure out where they were headed just by the turns they made.

Jack pulled into his driveway and turned off the truck. "Stay here until I come get you," Jack ordered. "And don't even think of removing that blindfold Carter."

Sam giggled and returned her hands to her lap. "Not even a peek," she pleaded.

"Nope," Jack said as he shut the door and hurried around to the backyard.

He quickly lit the candles and torches which he had strategically placed around the deck and backyard. He turned on and cued the CD player so all he had to do was hit play when he brought Sam around. He went inside and brought the bottle of wine he had placed in the fridge earlier out to the table on the deck along with two glasses.

Then, he spread out the large blanket in the middle of the flame-lit yard. He opened the box from his pocket one more time to make sure the ring was still there before carefully placing it back in his pants pocket. He laid his jacket over a chair and pulled his tie off, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt in the process. Finally, he untied his shoes and removed his socks, placing them just inside the door to the house.

Jack took one more look around to make sure everything looked perfect. He patted his pocket one last time to make sure that the ring hadn't disappeared in the last few minutes. Jack took a deep breath and let it out before saying to himself, "Well here goes nothing."

Jack made sure to make noise as he approached his truck's passenger side because he didn't want to startle Sam.

"Jack?" she asked.

"Know anyone else who would look for you in my truck?" Jack asked.

"No," Sam laughed. "Can I take the blindfold off yet?"

"Not yet," Jack answered. "Can I take off your shoes?"

"Huh?"

"Can I take off your shoes?" Jack repeated.

"Why?"

"Because I want to wear them," Jack explained sarcastically.

Sam's laughter filled the air, "Really?"

"No," Jack insisted, "We're going to be walking somewhere that heels won't be a good idea and I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Go ahead and take them off then," Sam directed.

Jack was in no way an expert at removing women's footwear, so the small amount of nerves he felt made him fumble with the clasp on the shoes.

"This would be a lot easier if you'd let me take the blindfold off," Sam suggested.

"Not going to happen Sam. Anyways, I'm done," he said as he finally removed the second shoe from Sam's foot.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Jack guided a still blindfolded Sam into the backyard though the grass and up the three steps to the deck. Jack poured to glasses of wine before turning to Sam and saying, "Okay, now you can take it off."

Within seconds, Sam had removed the blindfold. She gasped at the sight that greeted her as she surveyed the backyard with a distinct look of pleasure on her face. "Oh Jack," she said, "You did this all for me?"

Jack handed Sam a glass of wine and brushed off her question. "It's not that big of deal."

"Jaaack," Sam said dragging out his name. "How long did it take you to do all of this?"

"Not that long," Jack insisted but broke under Sam's gaze. "A few hours," he admitted.

Sam shook her head in disbelief and moved closer to Jack. Jack resisted his urge to pull Sam closer to him, and instead allowed Sam to almost finish the wine in her glass. Jack had already emptied his own glass, so he took Sam's glass from her hand and set it on the table before hitting the 'play' button on the CD player. Instantly, Jack's recently burnt CD began to play a special selection of slow romantic songs. Jack held his hand out to Sam who took it and permitted him to lead her down the steps and into the grass.

Jack found the blanket he had spread out earlier and stopped. Turning to Sam he asked, "Dance with me?"

Sam's smile grew as she wound her arms around Jack's neck and Jack's hands found their way to Sam's side, where they lightly rested.

Sam rested her head against Jack's chest. "This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me," she declared. Shifting just a little bit so that she could see Jack's face, she continued "Thank you for doing this. This is definitely been special."

Jack smiled as they continued to sway to the music. "It's not over yet," he promised, "And this isn't without reason." Seeing Sam's questioning look, he continued, "Consider it a payment against any past and future mistakes."

Sam giggled as she turned her face back into Jack's chest and allowed herself to get lost in Jack's arms and the music.

Together the two of them swayed to the music through a half-hour of songs. Jack mentally ticked off each song in his head as the CD came closer and closer to the end.

Sam noticed the growing stiffness in Jack, something that she had come to associate with his worrying about something. As the last song came to end, Sam pulled back just enough so that she could see Jack's eyes. "Is there something wrong Jack?" she asked.

Jack looked slightly nervous at Sam's question. "No, there's nothing wrong," he insisted, "Everything is good. Great even."

"Good," Sam said. "I was worried. You've been really quiet today, like you had something on your mind."

"Oh. I didn't mean to worry you. I've just been thinking about some things," Jack reassured her.

"You want to talk about it?" Sam asked, not really expecting him to want to.

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all," Sam insisted as she pulled back a little farther to create more space between her and Jack.

"I love you," Jack started.

"And I love you," Sam stated, curious as to why Jack was starting to become even more uneasy, as evidenced by him rocking back and forth on his feet. She opened her mouth to continue, only to be stopped by a raised hand from Jack.

"Just let me talk," Jack pleaded, "And I'll let you know when you can talk."

"How will I know when I can speak?" Sam asked, slightly miffed that he wanted her to remain quiet, but pushed that aside considering she had asked him if he wanted to talk.

"You'll know," Jack promised, "You'll know."

Jack stuffed his hand in his pocket to feel the ring box that rested there. Jack drew strength from that box and the words that Sam had just spoken, reassured that Sam did indeed love him.

"I love you," Jack started again. "And I want nothing more than for you to be happy. I'm horrible with words Sam, but just this once I'm going to try to make you understand what you mean to me. You make me happy Sam, and I thought after Sara and Charlie that would never happen again. I want you to know how much that means to me, how much you mean to me."

Jack's words were starting to create a sense of worry in Sam's heart. This sounded an awful lot like a break-up a speech to her ears, but she trusted Jack, so she didn't interrupt.

"You are a beautiful, intelligent, wonderful woman who could have any man you wanted and I am floored that you think I am good enough for you because in my mind, no man is good enough for you, not even me. You're the perfect soldier, every man's dream, and I'm just an old, retired Colonel with a sense of humor that most people never get. But for some reason, you get me, and my sense of humor. I haven't known you for even a year, but I feel like I've known you all my life."

"You see me as this perfect guy, and I'm not Sam. I have more skeletons in my closet than you can possibly imagine, things that I won't talk about, I can't talk about, and they give me nightmare Sam. I'm not a perfect man Sam, not even close."

Jack took a deep breath as he continued, taking Sam's hand as he continued, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. "You know, you have a really long name," he blurted out.

Jack's outlandish statement drew laughter from Sam and a small smile from Jack.

Realizing that there was really nothing else for him to say, Jack reached into his pocket and dropped to one knee, letting go of Sam's hand. Sam's hand immediately went up to cover her mouth which had formed into an 'O' at the realization of what Jack was about to ask.

"You are an amazing woman Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter, and I'm hoping that you'd be willing to change the last part to O'Neill." Jack took a deep breath and glanced at Sam but all he could see were the tears which were streaming down her face.

"What I'm trying to say," Jack asked as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring, "Is will you marry me?"


	23. Chapter 23

"_What I'm trying to say," Jack asked as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring, "Is will you marry me?"_

If you had asked Sam a few sentences into Jack's speech where he was going, Sam would have told you that she was sure he was going to give her the 'I need some space' speech. And the man had just proposed marriage. Sam didn't know what to think as all of his words swam through her head and tears streamed down her face.

Sam was trying to take it all in which resulted in her silence, which Jack took to be a bad thing. "I'm moving too fast for you aren't I? I just wanted you to know where I stood on these things," Jack said, talking so fast and loud that he missed what Sam said.

"Yes," she whispered, but Jack just continued speaking, totally missing what Sam had just said.

Jack stood up, and shoved his hands, along with the ring box back into his pocket. He examined the ground as he said, "I just want you to be happy Sam, and if being Mrs. Jack O'Neill won't do that for you, then I'm okay with that. I'll wait for however long it takes."

With his shoulders slumped and heading hanging, Jack walked towards his house.

Suddenly it dawned on Sam just how she was going to make Jack understand. "I don't think I could ever Mrs. Jack O'Neill," Sam called at Jack's retreating figure, watching as his shoulders slumped even father, "But I wouldn't mind being Mrs. Samantha Carter-O'Neill."

Jack's head whipped around. He looked at Sam, hope filling his face as he tentatively asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Sam said as she took one step towards Jack.

"Yes?" Jack questioned as he took a step towards Sam.

"Yes," Sam repeated as she took another step towards Jack.

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed as he picked Sam up and spun her around in his arms.

When he sat her down, Sam could see the huge grin on his face as he quickly pulled the ring box from his pocket, opened it, and delicately slid the ring on Sam's finger. For a few seconds, they both admired the ring on her finger. For Sam, she saw a ring that she couldn't have picked better herself.

Jack looked at Sam and gently wiped away the tears on her face. "Happy tears?" he asked.

"Happy tears," Sam confirmed.

After a few seconds, Sam tugged on Jack's hand and asked, "Dance with me?"

Confusion filled Jack's face, "But there's no music," he protested.

"It doesn't matter," Sam insisted as she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck. Jack relaxed and placed his arms around Sam. The two of them swayed to the music of nature long into the night.

----

It was late morning when Sam stumbled out of bed and went looking for Jack. She made it to the kitchen to find only a pot of coffee there. She poured herself a cup and ventured out to the back deck.

No evidence of the previous night's events could be seen, but Jack was there. His feet were propped up on the railing and he was drinking his own cup of coffee.

Sam stood beside Jack and asked, "Last night wasn't just a dream, was it?"

Jack's eyes quickly met Sam's gaze. "If it was, don't wake me up," Jack ordered.

Sam giggled as she settled into the chair next to Jack. Jack wrapped his arm around Sam. "It will be two weeks before I see you again," Jack said, breaking the silence.

"Don't remind me."

"I'm sorry that I did this too you," Jack proclaimed.

"What?"

"The whole getting engaged and then spending two weeks at Nellis," Jack explained.

Sam pulled away from Jack so that she could look into his eyes. "Never apologize for doing your duty to your country. You retired for me-even if you won't admit it," she insisted. "And it's not like I expect you to sit at home all day waiting on me. I'd rather that you do something with your time then sit at home and let all that knowledge that you really don't have go to waste. What you know could save a lot of people's lives Jack. I learned a lot from you in the one week we spent in the field together."

"I love you," Jack said once again reminded of why Sam was perfect for him.

----

It was Thursday and Sam was waiting on a phone call that she hoped would come along with a Jack in an improved mood.

//Flashback//

"O'Neill," a gruff voice answered.

"Hey, it's me."

Jack just groaned.

"It this a bad time?" Sam asked gently.

"Yes," Jack snapped.

"Then how about you call me on Thursday when you get the chance," Sam suggested.

Her answer was a dial tone.

//End Flashback//

The phone had only rang once when Sam snapped it up.

"Hello."

"Hey," Jack greeted her.

Sam could hear the slightly improved tone to Jack's voice, even though she could still hear the hint of sadness but it lacked the gruffness that had been there two days before.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized. "You didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of my anger."

"It's okay," Sam reassured him. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Jack quickly responded. "How was your day?" he asked, attempting to direct the attention away from himself.

"I had a meeting with General Thomson about my department. My last project is officially been declared complete, so I'm writing the final reports for that," Sam explained. "You know it's just a bunch of paperwork and stuff."

Jack groaned at the thought of paperwork.

"How was your day?" Sam asked.

"It happened," was all Jack would offer. "Just talk to me Sam," Jack pleaded, "That helps."

So Sam talked. For a half an hour, she relegated Jack with stories of her childhood. Jack didn't say or do much other than to ask an occasional question or laugh, but even Sam admitted that he sounded better the longer they talked.

Eventually though, a yawn escaped from Sam.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up so late," Jack apologized.

"Don't be," Sam claimed, "I just wish I could be there."

"I love you," Jack said.

"I love you too," Sam reassured him before she hung up the phone. "And I'll talk to you on Saturday," she promised.

----

Late Friday afternoon, Sam stepped off the plane at Nellis Air Force base, dressed in BDUs, just as she had been ordered.

//Flashback//

Sam had walked into her office Friday morning to find General Thomson waiting there for her.

"Sir," she said coming to attention and offering the senior officer a salute, which he promptly returned.

"Colonel Carter," Thomson greeted her. "I need your assistance with an urgent request that has come across my desk."

"Of course sir."

"The request is for someone of at least the rank of Captain with field experience along with knowledge of explosives, and most importantly the ability to leave later today and not return until late on Monday," the General explained.

Sam began a list in her head of staff member which fulfilled those requirements. "Where will the person be going, sir?" Sam asked.

"The officer flies into Nellis, but there are some other special instructions that you'll need to inform the person of," the General claimed as he passed Sam the paper.

"Oh." Mentally, Sam began thinking about her own schedule and could find no reason not to go.

"If you could let me know who it is Colonel as soon as you decide, I'd appreciate it," the General suggested.

"It will be me General, as long as you don't have any objections," Sam offered.

"Colonel Carter, you have a lot to learn about heading a department. Undesirable tasks like this are handed off to lower ranking officers," Thomson chuckled.

"Actually General, I have a friend that is out at Nellis right now," Sam explained.

"And you would like nothing more than to visit. So you want to combine a little bit of work with pleasure," the General finished for her.

"Yes sir," Sam said slightly embarrassed that the man could read her so well.

"Is this by chance the same friend that you visited last weekend? The one that put you in such a good mood?" Thomson questioned.

"Yes sir," Sam affirmed, wondering why a General would want to know this.

"In that case, I'll make the arrangements right away," he promised as he walked to the door, but he turned around right before he left the room.

"And Colonel, engagement rings were made to be worn on fingers, not on dog tags," Thomson suggested, watching the blush rise in the Colonel's face. "Except for on this assignment," he added.

"Of course General."

"Whoever this friend of yours is, he's a very lucky man," Thomson observed.

"We both are," Sam claimed, smiling as she thought about Jack and watched the General leave her with a small nod.

//End Flashback//

Sam's eyes began searching for someone who was there to meet her. Within seconds her eyes found a familiar head of unruly brown hair that was headed her way.

The man stood toe to toe with her, and despite the lack of smile on his face, Sam could see the light in his eyes that her presence brought.

"Colonel," she greeted him. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Retired," Jack instinctively responded before adding "Sam" in a tone that told her he was happy to see her, "Are you our science geek?" he questioned.

"Geek?" Sam asked in a disbelieving voice.

Jack quickly back-peddled, "Meant in only the most endearing term."

Jack led Sam to an office on base where he gestured her through a door before him and then firmly shut the door behind them.

Inside, Jack introduced Sam to his co-worker Colonel Jerry Lawson, an old friend of Jack's, who insisted that Sam address him by his first name. Lawson had been assigned by Jenkins to work with Jack on this group of recruits. Together the three of them walked to a conference room where Sam proceeded to give a briefing on the latest technology available to assist the special-ops group in the detection of explosives along with several new forms of satellite intelligence that would be available to them.

All in all, Sam was surprised by the amount of respect that the trainees offered her as they asked all the appropriate questions and even offered her a polite round of applause when she finished.

Jerry stood in front of the group and counseled them, "This information will be essential during tomorrow's final scenario. I suggest that you all get a good night's sleep and save your celebrating for tomorrow evening."

The whole group chuckled at his suggestion as he dismissed them.

Sam gathered the papers she had spread out over the table as Jack approached and helped her. Once all the papers were in their respective folders, Jack said, "Let's get out of here," and proceeded to lead her to the locker room so she could change. Sam changed and joined Jack in a vehicle borrowed from the base motor pool.

----

Jack really didn't know where he was going, he just got behind the wheel and drove. They ended up at a park where Jack and Sam strolled hand in hand down a paved path. The whole time, they were silent, not a word had been spoken between them.

Sam didn't want to push Jack and Jack just felt better because Sam was there, really just taking comfort in her presence. Eventually, Jack found a spot he liked and dropped to the ground, pulling Sam down with him to sit between his legs. Sam leaned back and let Jack wrap his arms around her.

After a while, Jack broke the silence. "Jerry wanted me here because of my operations in Iraq. Specifically, my time spent behind enemy lines as a POW and the torture I endured. He wants these guys to know exactly what they are getting themselves into. I told them more about what happened to me while I was a POW than I ever told anyone else. It's brought up some painful memories and gave me some nightmares that I thought I had put behind me," Jack admitted.

"I don't think you can ever put something like that totally behind you Jack," Sam commented. "Although it isn't the same thing, I still have nightmares about Jonas."

Jack was so grateful for this woman who for some unknown reason, understood him and could love him at the same time. "Thank you," Jack said wrapping his arms around Sam just a little bit tighter, "For always knowing just what to say."

Sam smiled and turned so that she could look into Jack's eyes. "It's a woman thing," she claimed which resulted in a chuckle from Jack.

"Well there is one thing that is totally a guy thing," Jack claimed.

"What?"

"Finding the best steak in a town," Jack exclaimed as he removed his arms from around Sam so that they could stand up.

Sam giggled as Jack led her back towards their vehicle, relieved that Jack seemed to be dealing with things better than before.

----

When Sam stepped on her plane after lunch on Monday, she had no doubt that Jack was going to be all right. Although he hadn't said anything else about his time in Iraq, he had relaxed quite a bit. Over the short time they had been together, he had quit being so quiet and returned to being the laughing and joking man that Sam had fallen in love with.

//Flashback//

On Saturday night, Jack, Sam, and Jerry had joined in the celebrating with the trainees, although not to the extent of the younger officers.

Sam was convinced that there was a pool going on which of the trainees could get her to dance because it seemed like there was a steady stream of them coming to the table that the three Colonels were sharing. Jack's glare of death seemed to scare away individual trainees, so they took to approaching in groups of twos and threes, much to Jerry's amusement.

Eventually, Sam decided enough was enough and had pulled Jack onto the dance floor. After a couple of dances, Jack had given her a look begging her to have mercy on him.

So Sam let Jack lead her out of the restaurant. The two of them ended up in Jack's hotel room watching a movie only to mute the sound as they discussed their future.

"When do you want to have the wedding?" Sam asked.

"Whenever you want Sam," Jack responded without much thought.

"Why do say that? It's our wedding Jack," Sam demanded.

"Honestly Sam, I've done the whole wedding thing before," Jack confided, "So as long as you tell me when to show up, where to go, and what to wear, I'll be there."

"You did the whole big wedding thing with Sara?" Sam asked casually.

"Yeah," Jack admitted. "She had, has a large extended family which made up 99 of the guest list."

"So the fact I want a small wedding, is okay with you?" Sam asked timidly.

"Perfectly fine," Jack promised laying a kiss on Sam's nose. "It's your day."

"No it's our day," Sam insisted. "So is there anyone you want to invite?" Sam prodded.

"If you're asking if I have any family, the answer is no," Jack offered.

"So maybe in a couple of weeks, I take a long weekend and the two of us go to Vegas and get hitched," Sam suggested, looking at Jack to see his reaction.

"Hold on! Just because I'm not one to push for a big wedding, doesn't mean that you shouldn't have the wedding that every woman dreams of," Jack insisted. "There has to be someone that you want there."

"Even though we're not on speaking terms right now," Sam sighed, "I want my dad there."

Jack smiled. "Would it be easier if I invited him?" he joked.

Sam playfully swatted him. "You invite him and I'll invite Ferretti and Kawalsky, provided they can swing the trip," she offered.

Laughter ensued and Sam smiled at her fiancé, soon to be husband, if she had her way.

//End Flashback//

Now, Sam realized that it would be two weeks before she saw her fiancé again, right before their extremely small and private wedding. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for both of them.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: I apologize ahead of time for any and all lines stolen directly from the TV show. Please note that I am taking some scenes and moving them around a little bit, but the important stuff will still be there.

Jack O'Neill was sitting on the roof with his telescope when Major Samuels showed up and informed him that there was a problem with the Stargate. Jack wanted so badly to run and hide as he remembered his plans with Sam that included a Las Vegas wedding were less than a week away. Jack had even called in some favors to locate the one person he was sure she would want to be there-and get him a plane ticket for a direct flight to Las Vegas.

But now, Jack was being escorted to see Major General George Hammond, the same man he had eaten Thanksgiving dinner with, about the Stargate. Jack had to hand it to the General. Despite knowing the man, George pulled no punches as he demanded answers about his mission to Abydos, even bringing Kawalsky and Ferretti for questioning.

And the more that Jack saw, the more respect the General gained in his eyes. He had known exactly which buttons to push to find out if there was more to the story than what Jack had claimed when he threatened to send the bomb through. Then, George ordering him to a holding cell so he could 'think things over' resulted in a reunion between the three friends.

"Sir," Kawalsky said as he offered him a salute which turned into a handshake and a grin. "We didn't tell them anything."

"Appreciate it guys," Jack replied.

"Yeah, well those kids saved my life too," Kawalsky insisted.

Silence followed that statement. Kawalsky opened his mouth to speak only to have Hammond barge into the room.

From there everything went rather fast, to the point that Jack didn't have time to do more than call Sam, who for some reason wasn't answering her cell phone, and leave a message.

"Hey Sam. This really sucks, but umm, the last project I worked on just had a problem and I'm being pulled out of retirement, which means I may be unreachable for awhile. I'm so sorry that I couldn't get a hold of you and tell you myself, but our wedding is probably going to have to be put on hold. I love you," Jack had said to a voicemail box.

Jack pushed everything else into the back of his mind as he focused on the mission that was quickly approaching.

----

While Jack had gotten Sam's voicemail, Sam had been on a plane bound for Peterson. An urgent call from General Hammond to the Pentagon had brought an officer to her door shortly after midnight. The officer had escorted her to a waiting plane and Sam was in the air before she realized that her cell phone was sitting on the kitchen counter in D.C.

First chance she got, Sam needed to call Jack and let him know that something required her immediate attention, and that their wedding was probably going to have to wait.

In the meantime, Sam opened the folder she had been given that offered all the details she had previously been blacked out of the reports. Sam quickly became engrossed by what she read, especially the first name which popped off the page "Colonel Jack O'Neill," she read, and Sam smiled. "Maybe I won't have to call Jack after all," she thought.

At 0745, Sam entered Cheyenne Mountain complex. Shortly after 0800 Sam was walking down the hallway towards the briefing room.

----

Major General George Hammond's respect for Jack O'Neill was on the rise. The man had defied a direct order because he didn't see the point in the senseless slaughter of thousands of human beings. While George didn't know what the current relationship was between Jack and Sam, he figured that Sam's stamp of approval was another point for the man. Personally, George couldn't wait to see how each of them reacted when they found out that the other was also involved with the Stargate.

Concerned that there may be issues, he had went straight to the President and asked what he should about, only to be cut off by the Commander in Chief who had told him "Do whatever it takes to eliminate this threat and keep our people alive."

George didn't know what kind of threat these aliens posed, but he did know that the President had just given him quite a bit of leeway in interrupting those orders, something which he figured he might need if Jack O'Neill's service record was any indication.

----

At exactly 0800 hours, General Hammond walked into the briefing room. He exchanged salutes with the officers present, and noted the absence of one very important officer.

"Is …" George asked.

"Just arrived," Walter Harriman answered, interrupting the General before he finished the question.

"Sir?" Jack questioned the exchange between the two officers.

George glanced at the Colonel before explaining. "I've been directed to assign our expert on the Stargate to this mission Colonel."

"No offense sir, but I prefer to choose my own teams," Jack said just as Sam stepped through the doorway. Jack's back was to her, preventing him from knowing that she had arrived. General Hammond caught her eye before directing his words to Jack.

"Understand this Colonel, you will be one of two co-commanders to this mission. Your team is responsible for the military side of things but you will consult with the other Colonel in all things science and Stargate related. I expect that neither of you will have a problem with that," General Hammond ordered in a tone that said there would be no arguing about this.

"Yes sir," a female voice answered from the doorway.

The sudden appearance of another person in the room brought many looks from those gathered around the table.

Sam approached the table, careful not to look at Jack. "Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter reporting as ordered sir," Sam said as she offered General Hammond a salute.

Jack closed his eyes and opened them again. "Yep, she's still here," he thought to himself. Jack's fiancé was sitting across from him at the briefing room table smiling.

A quick exchange of greetings, which mainly consisted of saying ranks, and Jack returned to the objection he had previously raised.

"Sir, this is a combat situation. I don't think it would be a good idea to take Colonel Carter through the gate with us."

"Why not sir?" Sam asked, starting to get slightly angry with the man. He knew her qualifications almost as well as she did. "I've had my share of combat time. I worked on the Stargate two years before Dr. Jackson opened the gate. I should have gone through the first time with you and your men. Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside rather than the outside doesn't mean I can't handle it."

Jack looked at her, and Sam swore she could see the man hiding a smirk as he bantered in return. "I'm sure that you can Carter. I don't have a problem with women though, just scientists," he reassured her.

"Well, I'm glad that you don't have a problem with women sir. Maybe we should arm wrestle so I can prove it to you." Snorts from the men all around the table were easily heard, all of which Sam choose to ignore. "I'm assuring you sir that I feel like I have been preparing for this mission my whole life. I won't hold you back," she reassured him.

"The command arrangement for this mission is non-negotiable people," Hammond declared, finishing the argument.

"Why don't we just bury the gate?" Samuels suggested, turning the conversation back to the mission at hand.

The rest of the briefing continued as expected as Hammond relayed his expectations and orders to the group.

After he dismissed the group, Hammond noticed that Jack and Sam were both taking a longer than necessary amount of time gathering their folders up.

"Colonels, my office please," he requested.

The three officers entered George's office and shut the door behind them, offering them a small amount of privacy.

"Sir," Jack began, "I feel the need to inform you that Colonel Carter and I have a relationship that goes beyond that of a professional one."

"Colonel, I realize this and for the time being your country needs both of you on this mission. Will it be a problem for the two of you to work together?" Hammond asked.

"No sir," Sam answered for the two of them, not even allowing Jack the chance to answer. "After all, I'm only on loan from the Pentagon, not here for a permanent transfer. I think we can make it work."

"See that you do," Hammond suggested, effectively dismissing the two officers.

----

Jack and Sam walked side-by-side to the locker room.

"So you wanna arm wrestle?" Jack jokingly asked.

Sam just glared at him before walking into the locker room, shutting the door behind her which meant that Jack was stuck waiting in the hallway. While he waited the rest of his team walked past him, already outfitted and fully armed.

Kawalsky and Ferretti stopped to stand next to Jack, waiting until they were alone.

It was Kawalsky who spoke. "So what's going on with you and Sam?"

Jack hesitated before saying anything else. "Ask me after we get through this," he declared.

At this point Sam reappeared and stalked towards the armory.

Ferretti and Kawalsky looked at her retreating figure. Kawalsky slapped Jack on the back. "Good luck sir. I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of her wrath, and it is not a fun place to be," Kawalsky reminded him.

"What did I do?" Jack asked, totally clueless as to what he could have done to anger his fiancé he went into the locker room to change clothes, followed by Ferretti and Kawalsky.

"You doubted her Jack, in front a room of her peers," Ferretti explained, like it was obvious. "You pretty much told her that she wasn't good enough to be your equal, your co-commander."

"Oh," Jack said as he replayed the briefing room scenario over in his head. "I'm so screwed," he said quietly.

----

They were safely back on Earth, something Sam was grateful for, even if the trip had been a little rough.

//Flashback//

"Don't worry Colonel I won't let you down," Sam said.

"Good. I was gonna say ladies first," Jack retorted.

Less than a minute later and Sam admiration of the wormhole was cut short by a push from her fiancé through the wormhole.

Upon arrival, Sam had felt like she was going to puke only to remember that she had to prove to everyone that she deserved to be here. So she sucked it up, and took a look around. The DHD was fascinating, and Dr. Jackson had proven to be, interesting to say the least. Jack seemed to respect him, but Sam had reserved judgment.

The revelation that the Stargate went other places surprised Sam, and left her feeling disappointed in herself that she hadn't figured it out earlier. It also gained Dr. Jackson some points towards her liking him.

But most importantly, Sam really hoped that her amazement at being on another planet, despite having known that aliens really did exist for almost year, didn't cause anyone to doubt her abilities.

The circumstances under which they returned to Earth were less than ideal though. Ferretti had been hit and could easily die, Dr. Jackson had just had his wife kidnapped, and Jack had lost a boy that Sam would only hesitate slightly to call a son.

Though, Sam was relieved to see that her idea of putting an impenetrable titanium iris over the gate had been taken seriously, although a little bit too late for her liking.

//End Flashback//

Now all she could do was sit and wait. It didn't matter that in three days she was supposed to be getting married. Or that Jack had taken Daniel home but not her. Sam reasoned that is was because she was busy with the dialing computer, trying to make the adjustments so that when Ferretti woke up, they would be ready for the mission that was sure to follow.

But right now she was too tired to even think about going home as she fell asleep.

----

Jack had looked for Sam before he left, but considering that she hadn't been wearing her engagement ring on her hand, he figured that she desired to keep their relationship as quiet as possible.

So when Jack found Daniel looking rather lost, he took him home, gave him a beer, and tried to avoid any deeply emotional discussion with the man. As usual when it came to Daniel, Jack couldn't get out of sharing more than he normally would. Jack did avoid mentioning Sam at all, as he wasn't quite sure how to go about mentioning that he was engaged and planning on getting married rather soon to the blonde Colonel Daniel had recently met.

Besides Jack comforted himself, a guy didn't go around bragging about his fiancé to another guy who had just had his wife kidnapped. For some reason, Jack could help feeling like he was trying too hard to convince himself.

Still Jack knew that he needed to make contingency plans so that no one got worried if either him or Sam disappeared and didn't make it to the alter as planned for their wedding day, so Jack placed a call to his old secretary Lieutenant Maria Smith, hoping that she would understand the late hour.

----

By some miracle, Ferretti had been able to give them the coordinates. And a carefully selected group of military personnel plus Dr. Jackson had launched an attempted counterattack which had gone rather miserably except for the defection of Teal'c. They had met a new enemy, watched two friends become hosts, and pretty much got their asses handed to them. Overall, Jack felt like they were left with a pretty bleak outlook except for the new source of intelligence that Teal'c offered.

Everyone, except Jack, seemed to be in fear of the man, but Jack trusted him. Saving his life generally did that for Jack.

Jack was sure that his recommendation for permitting the Jaffa to stay, and placing him on whatever team Jack ended up with shocked many, maybe even the alien himself who was a difficult read. But Jack felt confident in his choice.

On the bright side, Sam wasn't ignoring him any longer, but he wasn't sure that she was ready to marry him either. Considering Jack's first stop after the infirmary had been to call Lt. Smith and tell her that she wouldn't need to carry out his contingency plan, Jack hadn't really had the opportunity to speak with Sam.

Neither of them had taken an opportunity to speak to each other as anything other than two colleagues considering the 0730 briefing that they had all attended and rehashed exactly what had occurred. While everyone else talked, Jack contemplated several things.

Sam had performed well in the field, following his orders to the letter and without question, but Jack wasn't convinced that she was ready to lead.

Kawalsky was. He had handled the task of holding the gate perfectly, in a military sense.

And after the briefing finished, Jack told Hammond so in an off the record conversation between the two of them.

Hammond has listened to every word before dismissing Jack and making a few phone calls of his own. Then George had summoned the two Colonels to his office where he handed out his decision.

"Colonel Carter, as the expert on the Stargate, you are being transferred here to Cheyenne Mountain effective 0800 hours Monday. General Thomson said that he would be in contact if he had any questions. I would like for you to take the position as head of the technology department," he explained.

Sam opened her mouth to ask a question, only to be cut off as General Hammond continued. "There will be a briefing at 0800 hours during which I'll make an announcement about team assignments and other standing orders that I'm expecting to come from the President some time this weekend. Dismissed, and have good a weekend Colonels."

The two officers offered salutes and parade perfect turns as they left the office, Sam at a faster pace than Jack.

----

Jack remained behind to offer his thanks to the General for taking his opinion seriously and a few recommendations for officers that could be good choices for additions to the program, provided the President chose to keep using the Stargate.

Then, Jack went looking for Sam. He was able to hunt her down in the last place he expected to find her-the infirmary. She was sitting next to Ferretti, who looked much better than he had the last time Jack had seen him. They were speaking in low voices but stopped the second that Sam realized he was there. Jack paid no mind to Sam, turning his full attention to his friend in the hospital bed.

"Ferretti," Jack greeted the man, "You know that you don't need to go and get yourself hurt to get attention right?"

The man laughed but quickly grabbed his ribs which obviously hurt. "Please, Colonel, no jokes," he wheezed.

"Sorry," Jack apologized in a very unregretful tone.

Sam shot Jack a glare, causing him to look slightly more apologetic.

Ferretti might have been in pain, but he wasn't stupid as he watched Sam and Jack exchange glances. "So what is going on between the two of you," Ferretti asked, looking forward to seeing the man squirm, "that Sam asked Kawalsky and I to come out here this weekend even before this little side trip?"

Sam didn't even give Jack the opportunity to respond as she jumped in. "That depends, are you getting out of here any time soon?"

"Not like I have anywhere to go," Ferretti said, "Unless you're offering to let me stay with you," he hinted, having heard about Jack's offer to Teal'c.

Jack opened his mouth to answer, only to be beaten by Sam. "Kind of," she offered by way of explanation. "Jack is going to spring you while I go tell Hammond how he can contact us this weekend."

This was the best news Jack had received all week. Despite all of his doubts, especially since they had started working together, Sam still wanted to marry him! Jack realized that he must be grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care-in less than 24 hours, he was getting married.

"Sam," Jack called after her, "You do realize that means we can't take Kawalsky with us? He'll be stuck on base all weekend."

Sam flashed him an evil smile, as she responded, "Yeah, but I figure it's good practice for when he makes Lieutenant Colonel, and this way I'll we'll be even," remembering the blackmail she had saved for incidents like these.

"Right," Jack agreed as he went looking for the doctor, reminding himself once again that he should try really hard to stay on his fiancé's good side.

----

In the meantime, Sam approached General Hammond's office. She knocked on the door and entered. "General Hammond," she began, "I just wanted to inform you that Colonel O'Neill, Major Ferretti, and I will be leaving Colorado Springs this weekend. We will be reachable on our cell phones though, and will return in time for the briefing Monday morning when I officially report for duty."

"Colonel, I'm not sure that this weekend is a good time for a vacation," the General stated.

"I realize that sir, but these plans were made prior to this week's events," Sam explained.

George looked at Sam and saw the hopeful expression on her face. "Alright Colonel," he relented, "Just make sure that you inform Major Kawalsky that he is to remain on base all weekend. I'm sure that he will request a favor in the future in return."

"Yes sir," Sam agreed with a knowing smile as she turned to leave.

"Oh Colonel, may I ask what your vacation destination is?"

Sam gave him a smile that lit her entire face. "Las Vegas," she replied and left the room in search of Kawalsky.

General Hammond smiled to himself, hoping that the reason Jacob was going to pay him a visit in a couple of days was because he was going to be there to walk his daughter down the aisle. After all, for what other reason would Jack have asked-twice-about when Sam would officially be working at the same command as him?


	25. Chapter 25

Thirty minutes later, Jack had successfully sprung Ferretti from the infirmary after promising the doctor that he would keep an eye on him. The two men had grabbed their dress uniforms and an extra change of clothes for Ferretti from their lockers before meeting Sam to ride the elevator to the surface. Despite Ferretti's insistent questioning, neither Sam nor Jack would say anything other than "Shut-up Ferretti," which seemed to frustrate the man currently in the wheel chair.

Once Ferretti was settled in the back of Jack's truck, Jack drove towards his house, soon to be their house.

"So Jack," Ferretti asked for what had to be the hundredth time, "I'm guessing that we aren't staying at your house, so WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

Jack chuckled and looked at Sam who was trying to hide the smile on her face. Realizing that they were at his house, Jack and Sam got out, leaving Ferretti alone in the back seat. "We're going into the house," Sam stated as she opened her door, "And you're staying right here. We won't be long."

Less than five minutes later, Jack and Sam returned from what Ferretti knew was Jack's house with bags in hand. They threw them in the back with Ferretti before hoping into the truck once more.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?" Ferretti asked once more.

"Denver," Sam answered, still not wanting to offer anything else up-besides teasing Ferretti was fun!

"Why are we going to Denver?" Ferretti asked.

"To get on a plane," Jack explained like he would to a simple minded child, "And that is all we're telling you, so quit asking!"

"Or we'll leave you on the side of the road," Sam added.

That comment seemed to shut Ferretti up, as Sam and Jack enjoyed a comfortable silence the rest of the way to the airport.

----

Even their flight to Las Vegas was uneventful. Ferretti had finally drifting off to sleep after no one would answer his questions about why they were going to Las Vegas. The plane landed, and because they hadn't checked any luggage, Sam, Jack, and Ferretti quickly found their way to their hotel.

Jack went to the front desk and checked in, returning with 3 sets of room keys instead of 2.

"Jack," Sam stated, "I figured that there would be some room sharing after tonight."

"There will be," Jack insisted.

"Then why did you get three rooms?" Ferretti asked.

"That is for me to know and for you two to find out," Jack claimed with a knowing smile. "Just trust me."

"I do," Sam said and blushed, realizing the importance of those words.

Jack and Sam got lost in each other's eyes to the point that Ferretti cleared his throat. "Uh guys," he said interrupting their moment, "Is there a reason that we had to come all the way to Las Vegas this weekend?"

"Sure is," Jack said as he slipped his arm around Sam's waist while they waited for the elevator, "We're getting married."

Ferretti's jaw hit the floor as he starred at the couple in front of him. This possibility had crossed his mind when he had finally been let in on their destination, but he had dismissed it. Jack was too reserved and Sam was too independent for them to have advanced from the 'just friends' status at Christmas to getting married in a little more than six months.

"Congratulations," he finally managed to spit out. "But what am I doing here?" he sputtered.

Jack looked at him like he was crazy. "I thought that was obvious, but since you're confused, I'll spell it out for you," Jack offered. "I want you to be my best man."

Ferretti was frozen as Sam and Jack stepped out of the elevator, on their floor.

Sam turned around as if only now realizing that Ferretti wasn't with them. "Ferretti?" she prodded him, which startled him out of his thoughts.

"Oh? Sorry," he said, "I just thought that Jack said you two were getting married and he wanted me to be his best man."

"I did," Jack said, shaking his head at the man's disbelief.

"Okay," Ferretti said, still in disbelief. "Are you sure? I mean, it's not like you don't have other friends who deserve it more than me. Heck, Kawalsky is going to kill me when he finds out that you asked me and not him."

Jack stopped where he was, removed his arm from around Sam's shoulder, and handed her the bag with his dress blues in it. "If there was any way that I could have both of you here, I would have two best men," Jack insisted. "The two of you are part of the reason that I was able to find my way back here and meet Sam. There is no one else that I can picture standing beside me."

"Wow. I'm honored to do it Jack. I guess I'm just surprised that you think so highly of me," Ferretti stated.

Jack wrapped Ferretti up in a hug. When he pulled back, he said, "If there is anything that this experience has taught me, it's that good friends are hard to come but, and you are one of those friends."

"Wow!" said a voice behind Jack, "Did you feed my daughter that line when you asked her to marry you?"

Those words caused Jack and Sam to spin around to see retired Major General Jacob Carter standing there.

"Dad," Jack says to break the silence.

"Jack," the man acknowledged.

Now, all the eyes are on Sam, waiting to see what her reaction will be. Sam steps forward to pull her father into a hug, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm still mad at you," she blurts out, resulting in laughter from all those present. "But," she says as she pulls away, "I'm so glad that you are here."

Sam can hear Jack's sigh of relief from behind her, as if he's relieved that she won't be mad at him for inviting Jacob.

"I'm not sorry," Jacob says, "But there was no way I would miss this."

Sam turns around and glares at Jack. "Anymore surprises you want to tell me about?"

Jack actually looks scared. He has one more surprise for Sam, but he doesn't want to start off this marriage by spending the night on the couch! So, in typical guy fashion he lies. "No."

Sam raises an eyebrow in a fashion that reminds Jack of his new alien friend. "Are you sure?" she asks in a tone that Jack knows that she knows he's lying to her.

"Yes. No. Maybe," Jack stutters out, much to the enjoyment of the two men watching the exchange.

Sam takes a step towards Jack, who is already backed up against wall, so he has no where to run. "Well which is it?" she asks, the evil glint returning to her eyes.

Jacob took pity on the man who was shooting him a 'help me' look. "Actually, I brought the other surprise-your mother's wedding dress," he explained.

Sam's eyes lit up and she turned to look at her father again, only to see the look of hope in his eyes. "That is, if you want to wear it," Jacob quickly added.

"I'd be honored," Sam finally manages to say after opening and closing her mouth several times, especially considering she had planned to get married in her dress blues.

Jacob's face shows a full fledge grin as he reaches out to hug his daughter once more.

----

An hour later, Sam had taken a luxurious bath and was actually feeling human again when Sam heard a knock at the door. She looked at the clock, and knew that she was running a little behind. "Coming," she called as she gathered the last of what she needed and piled the rest so that Jack and Ferretti could move it to their room.

She threw open her door, expecting to see her father, and instead found the one person that she last expected and suddenly everything made sense. Jack's guarded response about more surprises, the reason he had brought Ferretti along despite Sam not brining a friend.

There in full dress blues stood Major Cameron Mitchell with a large smirk on his face as he watched one of his best friends drop everything in her hands to tackle him in a hug. What followed involved laughter and tears on the part of both parties, although Cam would deny that he shed any tears until his dying day, Sam was sure.

Eventually, Cam managed to get Sam out of the hotel and into a cab for the short ride to the place where the ceremony will be held. Sam was grateful for the good weather, and was starting to get nervous as the sun began to drop lower and lower into the horizon. Jack had done the majority of planning for the wedding ceremony, something that would have worried most women, but for Sam it was reassuring.

Jack wasn't all about flowers or big flashy things. He liked the plain and simple stuff, much like Sam. So she figured that whatever he had picked would be perfect. Honestly, Sam didn't care if they were getting married in BDU's in the middle of the gateroom. She was getting married to Jack O'Neill-the man she was convinced would take at least a year of dating to even think about marriage, let alone pop the question. After all, he had admitted that it took him three years of dating Sara to pop the question, so Sam had been convinced she would have to wait quite a while, which she had been willing to do.

But he had asked after only six months of real dating, and then Sam had expected him to want a long engagement. And again, Jack had surprised her by agreeing to a small wedding in Las Vegas, even when they really hadn't worked out any details of their life together. Jack had loved Colorado Springs and Sam had worked in D.C. Sam didn't really like D.C., but it wasn't like she had a choice, so she was hoping that Jack wouldn't mind the move. Now, that didn't matter. They would both be living in Jack's house in Colorado Springs, and Sam couldn't be happier.

Suddenly it dawned on Sam that she had no clue where they were going. Jack hadn't told her where the wedding was at, only that it was going to be outside! "Uh Cam? You do know where we're going right?" she asked.

"Jack told me," Cam stated as it suddenly dawned on him that Sam didn't know. "You mean you have no idea where you're getting married at?"

Sam ducked her head. "No," she admitted as a small amount of blush lit her cheeks.

Cam chuckled. "If you trust him enough to let him plan your wedding, you must really love him."

Sam locked her eyes with Cam. "I never thought I would find a man who cares this much about me," she affirmed. "He's perfect for me."

Cam just smiled, knowing in that moment there was no way he was going to ever talk his 'almost sister' out of marrying Jack. He just hoped that this time he wouldn't have to pick up the pieces left behind like he had after Jonas.

"You're placing an awful lot of trust in the man," Cam commented.

"I figure that he can handle it," Sam claimed as she thought about the scene Jack created in his backyard not that long ago. Turning the topic away from the upcoming wedding, Sam asked the one question she knew would distract Cam, "So, what's happening with you since we last talked?"

----

Cam, despite being a guy had no objections to being the one left holding Sam's hand as she applied make-up, messed with her hair, and put on jewelry, including the bracelet that her mother had given her.

"For a guy," Sam thought, "He's being extremely patient." And she told Cam so right before she kicked him out so she could put on her wedding dress.

Cam just smiled and shook his head. "I'm just glad that you want me here," he claimed as he softly shut the door and went in search of the missing bouquet of flowers as Sam had requested.

In the meantime, Sam carefully unwrapped her mother's wedding dress and put it on. A knock on the door interrupted Sam's musings as she called her father into the room. "How's Jack?" Sam asked.

"Nervous. Convinced that you're going to realize at any moment that he's not good enough," Jacob admitted as he starred in wonder at his daughter who looked so much like her mother. "You're sure this is what you want?" he asked.

Sam didn't even have to think about it. "Yes."

"Any doubts?"

This time Sam did pause to think. "About getting married? No," she stated. "About being married? A whole bunch," she admitted.

Jacob smiled at the worried expression that appeared on his daughter's face. "Your mom thought the same way," he claimed. "She was so worried that she was going to mess things up, but I didn't notice. Until the day I came home to find her crying in the kitchen because she had burnt the meatloaf." Jacob chuckled at the memory. "After that, things went pretty well. You'll be fine Sam, Jack is a wonderful man. And the two of you are perfect for each other. You ready?"

Sam just nodded, afraid that if she spoke she would shed the tears she was trying so hard to keep from spilling over.

----

The sun was just beginning to sink over the horizon as and the sight that it was producing was amazing to say the least. The shades of pinks, oranges, and reds mixed together to form a spectacular sight.

A sight that was only enhanced by the vision Jack saw walking towards him. On the arm of Jacob Carter, who was in his dress uniform, was the most beautiful woman Jack had ever seen. Samantha Carter was wearing a dress that only enhanced her natural beauty. The cream colored gown was ballroom style in that about a foot of material drug on the ground behind Sam while the rest of the dress clung to her every curve. It hung almost off her shoulders and had sleeves that ended just shy of her elbows. In the middle was an artfully tied bow, that Jack thought completed the dress.

But the dress had nothing on the woman in it. In her hands was an arrangement of red and white roses, which just seemed to complement the colors that the sunset had turned her hair. The closer that Sam came, the more Jack could see that she seemed to be glowing. Jack had never seen such a large smile on her face as the one that currently seemed to fill her entire face. When Jacob and Sam finally came to a stop in front of Jack, he could see that her eyes sparkled in the fading light, matched perfectly by the necklace with a small blue stone around her neck.

Only Ferretti noticed that Jack had moved at all since Sam had come into view, and that he probably wouldn't have remembered to breathe if Ferretti hadn't elbowed him, something which hadn't even gotten a reaction from Jack.

----

As Sam walked towards Jack, she had to remind herself to breathe and keep walking, especially when she saw the scenery. Jack was standing under a terrace that had obviously had roses growing on it, but also was wrapped in white lights. The sunset and the lights created a beautiful picture as both sets of light reflected off of the water.

Jack looked… Sam just couldn't come up with a word to describe him that seemed good enough. Cute, handsome, heck, even perfect didn't seem to do him justice. And the dazed grin on the man's face only increased the man's attractiveness.

Before Sam knew it though, her father had given her a kiss and given Jack her hand.

----

The ceremony flew by and before anyone really knew it, the minister was saying "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." As the last bit of sunlight disappeared, Jack dipped Sam and kissed her in a way that left no questions about how much he cared about her. After they finally parted for air and righted themselves, Sam and Jack exchanged hugs with the three men present and headed for the restaurant where they would have a nice, low-key dinner together at a semi-fancy restaurant before Sam and Jack would depart for the evening.

The five of them were seated around a circular table, Jacob, in between Cam and Ferretti, while each of the men sat next to their friends, which left Sam and Jack free to sit next to each other. Thankfully, the conversation avoided any difficult topic, instead keeping to the lighthearted memories of Sam and Jack's antics that left everyone smiling and laughing, with an occasional blush.

Eventually though, Sam noticed Cam's occasional glances at his watch. "Cam," she asked, "Somewhere you need to be?"

Cam looked slightly guilty. "Yeah, I only had a 24 hour pass, and my plane leaves in a couple of hours. I was hoping for a dance with the bride but, I figured that her father and husband probably deserved a dance first," he hinted with a small glance at the dance floor.

Jack turned to Cam and asked, "Did she pay you to do this or just blackmail you?"

Cam wasn't quite sure how to respond, but Sam just playful swatted her new husband and grabbed his hand, making it plain that her intent was to pull him onto the dance floor.

"You are a dead man," Jack promised as he glared at Cam, following his new wife to the dance floor.

Despite Jack's protests, he was reluctant to allow Jacob to cut in when he approached the couple after a song.

Ferretti was smiling when Jack took Jacob's seat between the two Majors. "She has you so whipped Jack," Ferretti said like he was stating the obvious.

The laughter coming from Cam was all Jack needed to know that the other man agreed with that statement.

"Well Ferretti if you had a woman like Sam, you'd be whipped too," Jack insisted as slapped the man on the back.

Cam looked out at the dance floor and noticed that Jacob had disappeared, so he stood up. "Thank you for letting me be here," he said to Jack, "Take care of her."

"I will," Jack promised as he gave the younger man a hug.

Cam walked out to the dance floor and took Sam into his arms in the way only a brother would. "Did Jacob leave already?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam said in a tone that declared there would be no more discussion on the matter.

"I hope Jack know how lucky he is," Cam stated.

"I'm the lucky one," Sam claimed.

"You're both lucky. It's obvious that you have something special and I only hope that I can find someone like that out there for me," Cam said wistfully.

"There is," Sam assured him as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "You'll just have to be patient."

"I'm anything but patient though, that's why I fly F-16's," Cam claimed as he hugged Sam as close to him as he could get.

"Be safe," Sam said, the only good-bye she could give her oldest and best friend.

"Always am," Cam promised as he turned on his heels and left the room as quickly as possible.

Jack quickly approached and pulled Sam into his arms for another slow song.

"We forgot to tell Dad something," Sam began.

"What?" Jack asked, totally clueless as to what the problem could be.

"That you got pulled out of retirement," Sam explained.

"Oh. I'm guessing he's not happy about it, huh?"

"Not really."

"What do you think about it?" Jack asked, almost scared of the answer Sam could give him.

Sam moved her head from Jack's chest so that she could look into his eyes. "I'm okay with it, especially because we'll be stationed at the same place, for now at least. If I was still in Washington it might be more of a problem, but considering what we're doing, neither of us can really afford to do anything different."

They danced in silence for a while until Jack asked the question that had been bothering him for a while. "When did you find out that I led that mission?"

"Not until Hammond had me recalled to the mountain. That was the first time I was actually permitted to see the most classified version of the mission report. Every other time, the only thing I got to see was the blacked-out version where they omitted your names," Sam replied.

"Huh. So are we going to be okay with this whole working together thing?"

"It will be different," Sam admitted, "But we've managed to do okay so far."

Jack smiled and kissed the top of her head before taking Sam's hand in his own and pulling her towards the elevator and their waiting hotel room. Sam smiled hesitantly, but let Jack lead her anyways, trusting him just like she always had.

----

Author's Note: The dress described, along with the location of the wedding were based off of real places. Special thanks to ALIMOO1971 for all her help! Only one more chapter to go, and it's more of an epilogue that covers a long stretch of time!


	26. Epilogue

Sam was quiet on the plane back to Denver. Jack could tell that she was thinking and it bothered him. Did she regret this weekend? Did she already wish that she hadn't married him? Jack's head was filled with worries. Eventually Sam fell into a restless sleep, leaving Jack to his own thoughts and doubts.

The couple traveled mostly in silence, even through gathering luggage and dropping Ferretti off at the base with a threat not to discuss what had happened that weekend, especially to Kawalsky.

Once they got to their house, Sam threw her bag on the floor of their bedroom and collapsed on the bed in tears. Not just a few tears, Jack noted, but all out sobs. Being a guy, Jack had no idea how to correct _his_ mistake other then to gather Sam into his arms and hold her as long as she cried.

When she finally quieted but didn't remove her face from his now tear soaked shirt, Jack went into 'I screwed up and now I have to fix it mode' and apologized. "I'm sorry," he said.

"What for?" Sam asked, lifting her head from his shirt to look into his eyes, a confused expression on her face.

"For whatever I did that made you cry," Jack explained.

"It wasn't you," Sam whispered, "It was my dad."

"What did he say?"

"More like what didn't he say? I guess the fact we forgot to tell him that you unretired started things off and it went downhill from there. Wanted to know how we were going to have a relationship and why you wanted to get married so fast," Sam explained. "He's supposed to be my dad and support me but all he did was try to make me feel I was making a mistake. Which it's not."

"There's no way that what I feel for you could ever be a mistake," Jack promised. "I love you."

"I know," Sam replied, "Me too."

"Don't worry about Dad. He'll either figure out that's he's wrong and fix it or he doesn't belong in your life," Jack declared.

"You're right," Sam said quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

Sam swatted Jack playfully. "You heard me," she insisted. "You're right but don't get to used to it-it won't happen often."

Seeing a smile on Sam's face made all of Jack's efforts worthwhile. "I'll forget your insubordination Colonel if you'll go order some pizza," Jack offered.

"Just order pizza?" Sam asked, suspicious of Jack's easy offer.

"We'll start with pizza and work up to the rest," Jack hinted.

Sam untangled herself from Jack and rose off the bed. "Huh," she huffed mockingly as a blush lit her cheeks. "You presume an awful lot for a supposedly intelligent guy," she called over her shoulder as she put a little extra swagger into her steps, leaving Jack with a great look at her butt.

It was only after she disappeared from view that Jack realized what she had said. "Hey!" he called as he bounded after her, "Supposedly intelligent?"

Sam's laughter was music to Jack's ears.

----

At precisely 0800 hours, Jack and Sam stood at attention as Major General George Hammond entered the briefing room and motioned them all to take their seats. Once they were seated, Hammond began to speak. "First of all, several housekeeping items. Unless announced, day-to-day uniforms will be BDU's unless an announcement is made otherwise. You are all receiving permanent transfers from whatever unit you were with, to NORAD under the cover of 'deep space radar telemetry'."

This announcement was met with several groans from those seated around the table at the lacking cover story. Before anyone could raise any objections though, George forged on. "Furthermore, the President has agreed with Dr. Jackson's argument that there is much to be learned through using the Stargate. He has ordered the formation of 9 teams. This entire operation is classified top secret. No one will know the truth about what we do here except for the President and the Joint Chiefs. Colonel O'Neill, you will lead the SG-1 which will consist of yourself and Dr. Jackson. Colonel Carter, you will lead SG-2. Major Kawalsky and Major Ferretti, for at least the first two months you will operate as the second in commands to Colonel O'Neill and Colonel Carter respectively, before receiving command of SG-8 and SG-9 when the personnel becomes available to fill those teams."

The glances shared between the four military personnel were priceless as each tried to contain their enthusiasm.

George didn't fail to notice the special glance that was shared between the two Colonels but before he could say anything else, the klaxon sounded, announcing an incoming wormhole, something which had become common place ever since the mission to Chulak. "Dismissed," he announced and headed for the control room, followed by his four newest team leaders and Dr. Jackson.

While Major General George Hammond didn't know what kind of threats were out there, he felt confident that he had the nation's best under his command protecting their planet. He could only hope that it would be enough.

----

Several days later, Jack collapsed into their bed and Sam flopped next to him, both of them thoroughly exhausted after the past few days' events.

"I never told Charlie that we got married," Jack said quietly, "And now he'll never know."

Sam didn't know what to say, so she just let Jack hold her like she was his teddy bear.

"And Hammond doesn't want us flashing our relationship until the President decides something so…"

"No one else will know unless we tell them," Jack finished for her. "I'm sorry that things aren't going like they should be."

"Like they shouldn't be?" Sam questioned, turning to face him.

"I'm supposed to be retired and living with you wherever you're stationed at. And we're supposed to be working on…" Jack explained before dropping off.

"Working on what?" Sam asked.

"Working on adding a little girl to our family," Jack said quietly.

Sam opened her eyes wide at the admission. "Wow! I wasn't sure what you would say about kids, especially after Charlie, but I guess we'll have to get started on that right away. If we do things right, _he_ should be here by Father's Day," Sam said.

"_She_ would be a pretty good present," Jack claimed, "But you realize that you'd have to leave the field, give up command of SG-2."

"This would be worth it," Sam declared. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the President is going to say that I be made the head of science and technology at the base and report directly to General Hammond while you handle military matters. I'll just work in the labs and on the gate program when I can't lead a team."

"Maybe you should suggest that to Hammond," Jack murmured as he leaned over to kiss her.

"I already have," Sam replied as she pulled Jack's head down to meet her own lips.

----

A few days later, after Charlie Kawalsky's funeral, Hammond called Jack and Sam into his office and gave the exact orders that Sam had suggested to him.

The first trip through the gate was done by SG-1, plus Sam, and it was the first test of their marriage. Sam disappeared in the middle of the night wearing a gorgeous blue dress. Jack was so relieved that she was returned safely to them that he had to resist the urge that he had to kiss her senseless in front of Daniel and Teal'c, neither of whom had been informed about the relationship.

But Sam was distant, not letting Jack touch her. It wasn't until Sam got back and was sequester in the infirmary overnight with heavy wounds on her back that Jack found out just how back things had really been. It was then that he realized that if he had been just a little bit later, he could have lost his wife. That thought sent Jack O'Neill thinking. While Sam lay sedated in the infirmary Jack thought, and thought, and thought some more. And he came to the conclusion that he wasn't sure he could do this anymore.

Luckily, Sam woke up and talked him out of leaving the field.

"You can't give up command of SG-1," Sam insisted. "No one else wants to have Daniel or Teal'c on their team."

Sam giggled at the expression on Jack's face.

"That was just wrong!" he declared, reaching out to tickle her. When things started to get a little hot, they were interrupted by the new CMO, Dr. Janet Fraiser.

She looked curiously at the position the two officers were in before saying, "I need examine Colonel Carter now." Janet gave him a piercing stare that indicated he should leave.

"I know when I'm not wanted," he moaned as he leaned down to kiss Sam before leaving.

The doctor looked questionably at Sam and raised an eyebrow, "You know he didn't move the entire time you were out."

"I kind of figured that," Sam admitted. "He's my husband."

"That explains things," Janet said. "But it's not in your medical chart and I'm guessing that it's not public knowledge."

"We got married a little over two weeks ago. And we're keeping that quiet, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread that around Doctor," Sam advised her.

"It's Janet," Janet insisted, "And you can count on me."

"It's Sam then," Sam smiled as the doctor checked her wounds.

"Well then Sam, how do you feel about joining the rest of us women for a girl's night out?"

That question was the start of a close friendship between Janet and Sam.

----

A year and a half later, Jack O'Neill stood, holding his nine month old daughter in his arms. She was his pride and joy.

A week after Sam had been beaten, she had led her newly formed team, including temporary 2IC Major Ferretti, on their first mission through the Stargate and came back infected with the Broca virus which had turned everyone into primitive humans. A fortunate side effect for Sam and Jack had been that the virus was also a fertility drug. Nine months later, Grace Elizabeth O'Neill had been born.

The unfortunate outcome of the virus had been the fact Sam and Jack were forced to reveal their relationship. Though next to no one had said much about it, it had limited the amount of time they spent together in the field. But that hadn't been much of a problem a couple of months later when Janet had pulled Sam out of the field.

//Flashback//

Sam had suited up to lead SG-2 on a joint mission with SG-1 to a planet where Teal'c had revealed there was a creature that could make its self invisible.

The dialing of the gate had been halted and Janet had come into the gate room.

"Colonel Carter you can not go on this mission," Janet ordered.

"Why not Doc?" Jack had asked coming to stand next to his wife.

"There were irregularities in her pre-mission blood test that I need to check out," Janet explained handing Sam a sheet of paper, "Residual effects from the Broca virus."

Jack looked at her confused. "We've been on several missions sent then. Why did you just catch this now?" Jack demanded slightly worried he shifted his P-90 so that he could stand closer to Sam and try to read the report.

"Some things just take time to be detected," the Doctor claimed as she tried to pacify the worried officer.

"What things?" Jack practically yelled, becoming worried about his wife and the fact that the doctor wasn't really saying anything.

Sam could tell that things were going to get out of hand unless she did something, and after reading her own medical file, she was pretty sure that she knew what the problem was.

"It's okay Jack," Sam said as she placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down.

"How is it okay?" Jack demanded.

Sam inconspicuously placed a hand on her stomach and looked to Janet for confirmation. Janet had noticed the action and smiled at Sam nodding her head.

At the point General Hammond came in the room, wanting to see what the holdup was. "Doctor, what is the problem?"

"I'm pulling Colonel Carter from the field for the foreseeable future General," Janet said.

"Hold on!" Jack said raising a hand, "I thought it was just an issue with some blood work and an effect of the Broca virus. Can't' you just give her a shot or something to take care of the problem?"

"Colonel O'Neill," Hammond lightly reprimanded, "I am sure that Doctor Fraiser knows what to do better than you. Unless there is a reason to detain SG-1 and the rest of SG-2 I would like to send them on their way."

Doctor Fraiser thought about for a few seconds. "I see no reason to delay their mission sir. Colonel Carter is the only one suffering these effects. By the time Colonel O'Neill returns I should have more information on Colonel Carter's condition."

"I am not going anywhere until someone tells me what is wrong with Sam," Jack declared, almost stomping his foot like a child.

"Colonel O'Neill-"

"Jack"

"Sir"

Was all said at the same time, by General Hammond, Sam, and Doctor Fraiser respectively.

General Hammond held up his hand for silence and looked between Doctor Fraiser and Sam. "Would one of you ladies like to reassure the Colonel that he has nothing to worry about?" he requested.

"I'm not sure this is the place for that-" Janet began only to have Sam interrupt her.

"I'm pregnant," Sam stated.

Jaws dropped in the gate room as they all turned to look at Sam, at least those who hadn't been looking or were pretending not to look earlier.

"Is that true Doctor?" Hammond asked, glancing at the doctor.

"Yes sir," Janet confirmed, particularly enjoying watching Jack try to figure out how to respond.

"I believe that congratulations are in order then Colonel Carter and-" General Hammond tried to say only to be interrupted by a whoop from Jack as it dawned on him.

"I'm going to be a dad again," Jack yelled, picking Sam up and twirling her around. When he put her down, he kissed her, dipping her back which permitted Sam to put her hands around his neck.

Wolf whistles came from many people in the gate room, started by Ferretti, Jack suspected, but he had no intention of stopping to reprimand the man.

//End Flashback//

Sam had left Ferretti in charge of SG-2 and sent Jack with them on the mission. After the mission was over and Sam heard just how close she came to loosing Jack, she out rightly told him that she wasn't sure she could return to the field after their child was born.

Shortly after Grace was born, Jack went on his first mission in what turned out to be a string of close calls. He had ended up in Antarctica with Ferretti and almost froze to death, become a robot double, and saved the world. Saving the world for the first time had been the scariest.

//Flashback//

"I'm going with you Jonathan O'Neill and nothing you can say or do will stop me!" Sam exclaimed.

"But what if something happens to us?" Jack asked. "What about Grace?"

"I'm doing this for Grace," Sam reminded him. "Can you override the dialing program without me? Can you fix a broken DHD?"

//End Flashback//

At that point, Jack knew that there would be no arguing with her, she was going with them. So Jack and Sam had left their daughter in Janet's care and she had been one of the first sent through to the Alpha site. Saving the world didn't even compare to the feeling of holding his wife and daughter in his arms once again.

The lowest point over the last year and half had come when Sam had been taken over by a Tok'ra. He wasn't sure that she would ever come out of the state she was in until he had brought their then four and half month daughter to see her. For the first time in days, Sam had reacted to someone rather than just staring at the wall.

Right before they left for the medal ceremony in Washington, Janet had given him and Sam some bad news though, one that made him so glad to have Grace.

//Flashback//

"There's no easy way to say this Sam, but I'm afraid that you'll never have any more children. The way that the Tok'ra broke down in your body changed your body," Janet said softly trying to soften the blow she knew this would be. "I'm sorry."

Jack had held Sam in his arms as she cried tears of disappointment at never being able to have another child.

//End Flashback//

Now Jack was holding his daughter while Sam said good-bye to Jacob who now had his own symbiote, Selmac. Jacob hugged Sam firmly before holding out his hands to Jack, indicating that he wanted to hold the granddaughter that he had just met a month ago. Despite having been invited out to Colorado multiple times, it had taken Sam, Jack, and Grace going to D.C. with General Hammond before Jacob had made a move to connect with his granddaughter. But it had only taken once and Jacob had fallen in love with the little girl, moving to Colorado Springs so that he could spend what time he had left with her.

Jacob held her gently but tightly before the gate started spinning, whispering in her ear. Jacob handed Grace to Sam. He hugged Jack and promised, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Take care of them Jack."

"I will _Dad_," he promised.

Jack stood with one arm around Sam and watched as his father-in-law stepped through the gate. "What a strange life we lead," Jack said to no one in particular.

"Well I think it's our own kind of normal," Sam insisted as she gazed at her daughter.

"Then it hasn't be the strangest normal out there," Jack claimed as he kissed his wife on the cheek and took Grace from her, after all, he had changed her last diaper and that had to count for holding privileges!

----

AN: Well that's all for now everyone! I have gotten some requests for a sequel, but I'm not sure where I'd take the story from here. Besides, I'm working on several new stories, including one that's just been posted titled "Finding Calm Waters" that I hope many of you will take a look at. In the meantime, thanks for reading and all your great reviews!


End file.
